


One man's game

by Erimori



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Angst and Humor, Basketball, Bottom Aomine Daiki, Drama, Fluff, Heavy Angst, M/M, Major Character Injury, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Post-Canon, Romance, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-12-22
Updated: 2016-07-12
Packaged: 2018-05-08 11:38:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 22
Words: 29,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5495732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Erimori/pseuds/Erimori
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

They all believed that once graduated, great opportunies would await, a promising career in basketball. Yet, life never seems to go the way you want it to. Although some of them were still occupied with basketball, one way or another, only a few of them actually got the chance to operate on the basketball court. Kagami shook his head as he took a walk down memory land. How many times had he and his team members not put themselves out there, playing as if their lives were on stake, and for what, he now asked himself.

“Hey, coach, are you listening?” a slightly annoyed voice hissed into Kagami’s ears. Kagami turned his head to look at the guy sitting next to him in the overcrowded bus.

“Oh, sorry Kondo, can you please repeat yourself?”

“When are we arriving? I’m starting to get slightly carsick.”

Kagami glanced at his watch and then shouted out: “Guys, 2 hours more to go! Need I remind you that no trash shall be left behind? This time I will make sure to subtract the cleaning fees from your food budget, so do yourselves the favour of cleaning up, or suffer the consequences of pure hunger.”

“So terrifying, coach,” everybody muttered.

“2 hours?” Kondo growled. “That’s so late. We won’t be able to play any basket today then.”

“And how would you manage to play with your so-called carsickness?” Kagami roared.

The bus ride was the only downside when it came to going on trips. They had been sitting for eight hours straight, and Kagami’s butt was starting to get pretty sore. He estimated that the time would pass by faster if he were to fall asleep, so with his head resting against the window Kagami slowly drifted off.

-

“Coach, coach…”

Kagami yawned and opened his eyes. The bus was standing still. “Did we arrive?”

Kondo shook his head. “No, the driver is out stretching his legs. Standard procedure, you know.”

“You idiot, then why the heck did you wake me up?”

Out of all people, why did he have to sit next to the team’s most annoying person? Kondo was always constantly pouring words out, as if silence would kill him at any instant.

Kondo shoved a magazine in Kagami’s face. “You used to play against this guy, didn’t you?”

Kagami snatched the magazine out of Kondo’s hands and glanced at the shiny front page of the magazine. There was a picture of a couple making out on open street. “Japan’s most beloved male super model, Kise Ryota, seen with a mysterious fling,” Kagami read out and then looked at Kondo with eyes of a falcon. “No wonder your playing sucks when you spend your time reading this kind of shit.”

Kagami thought to himself; _what a joke. He’s no longer recognized as a former member of the generation of miracles, but as Japan’s most beloved male super model? The world has become so ignorant._

“My sister says that he used to be the best out of the five, I mean six,” Kondo continued.

“Oh, did your sister by any chance know Kise?” Kagami asked with a raised brow.

“No, she’s younger than me.” Kondo replied.

Kagami carried out a face palm. “I see, so your sister also gets her sources from useless gossip papers?”

Kondo smiled. “Actually I borrowed this from her.”

“You are such a disgrace to this team!” Kagami said loudly, causing everybody in the bus to jump up from the seats. “Who would even admit that? Really, so embarrassing.”

“Then who was the best out of the six, coach?” Suzuki asked. He was seated behind them and had been paying attention to the entire conversation.

In the past five years Kagami had not been thinking about _him_. It was a decision that Kagami had stood by the very moment he made it. But Suzuki’s question had stirred something up inside of Kagami, and he suddenly recalled a boy with navy blue hair and an undeniable expression of ambition in his eyes.

“Aomine,” Kondo stated.

“W-what?” Kagami stuttered, afraid that he had been thinking out loud.

“Out there,” Kondo said, fingers tapping on the window.

“Awesome, it’s really him,” Suzuki was amazed. “He’s a legend.”

Kondo and Suzuki started discussing about Aomine Daiki’s greatest accomplishments, but Kagami didn’t pay any attention to it, his eyes drawn to a person passing the street, casual clothes, grocery bags in both hands. Aomine looked the same, less bulky than in his younger days, but nonetheless the same.

“I’m back,” the bus driver exclaimed and started the bus.

-

With a displeased face, Kagami counted the money one last time before handing it over to the bus driver. He then waited until the bus was out of sight before turning to face his team on the empty and dark parking lot, his teeth gritted.

“You damn bastards, who spilled soda in the bus?” Kagami’s voice was deep and furious, and although the coach was usually known to be quite short-tempered, there was no doubt that he was being dead serious at the moment. “Nobody’s stepping forward? What a coward. I tell you what, no dinner tonight for any of us.”

Kagami stomped off with his luggage. The members followed their coach, but with a great distance kept between them and him the entire way to the hotel.

“Why is he so pissed off?” Takayama asked. “I mean, it’s not the first time this has happened?”

“I have no clue, but my stomach is aching from hunger,” Kondo complained.

“Likewise,” everybody let out with a deep sigh.

Once checked in, everybody parted, four members heading to room 106 and the remaining four members to room 256. Kagami turned the key to room 423 and stepped inside. One of the perks of being a coach; you get your own separate room. Without turning the lights on, Kagami found his way towards the bed and threw himself on it, not bothering to take off his shoes beforehand. He closed his eyes, his mind working against his will, replaying the image of Aomine walking past the bus. _No, Kagami, take your mind off him. You have been doing so well up until now, so don’t you fucking start thinking about him now._ _Must think about something else. Basket, think about basket. Think about your team._

 _  
_ Kagami suddenly realized that he had treated his team members unfairly. taking his anger out on them in order to hide his personal frustrations. Perhaps he should head out and sincerely apologize to them. As he got up from the bed, somebody knocked on the door. Kagami opened the door, surprised to see eight team members kneeling outside his door.

“Coach, we are so sorry, we will make sure to be more careful in the future,” everybody shouted in unison, voice full of regret. Overwhelmed, Kagami spread his arms out and pulled them all close for a group hug.

“Coach… coach, you’re kind of hurting us…”

“Yosh, let’s go eat!” Kagami announced with a bright smile.

Ten minutes later, 10.15pm, they all stared silently at a sign. _[We are unfortunately closed for today. Please come back tomorrow for great meals. Opening hours: 8am -10pm.]_

“…”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Most people would be delighted to wake up to the scent of clean sheets, the feeling of soft pillows and a solid mattress pressing against ones bag- an experience only hotels could offer. Yet, Kagami had lied sleepless the whole night, his body screaming silently after food. The mini-fridge in his room and the venting machine down in the lobby were emptied long ago, only to leave him with an extensive bill and a sugar crash around 2am, which eventually led to a 30min power nap followed by several hours of restlessness and massive heartbeats from the caffeinated energy drinks.

 _This hotel has got to have the worst location in the whole country_ , Kagami cursed to himself. _I mean, which hotel only has a single restaurant within a distance of 10 kilometres?_

It turned out that Kagami wasn’t the only victim of insomnia previous night.

“… and apparently some idiot emptied the whole venting machine,” Ueto snorted, making Kagami almost drop his chopsticks while reaching out for his fifth piece of fishcake. “Or that’s what the receptionist told me.”

Kagami cleared his throat and tried not to sound too obvious. “I’m sure that that guy is regretting it big time by now.”

Takayama sent Kagami a suspect look. “Who said anything about a guy?”

“So what’s the plan for today?” Kondo asked, adding a whole new direction to the conversation.

“Running sessions, simply,” Kagami said as a joke, but the others were way too exhausted to catch up on it, faces darkened in horror.

“Now, now, I was joking. I figured that we would all be wasted by today, so I kept a plan B all along,” Kagami gave away and reached out for the bag at his feet, pulling out an ancient-looking laptop. “We will watch all the matches played by the national team during the past 15 years. Although these players have completely different styles, you will find that they all have one thing in common; they all graduated from the top five high schools with the best basketball programs in the country. My goal is to help you achieving a ticket to one of those high schools, and the only way to do that is through hard work and observations.”

“I’ve only seen this kind of laptop in old movies,” Kondo exclaimed, sliding his fingers across the keyboard.

“Have you even been listening?” Kagami snapped before playing the first match. However, just as the guys were halfway though the first match and things were starting to get interesting, the owner of the restaurant was hovering by their table, dissatisfaction in her wrinkled features. With a rude voice, she asked them to leave in case they were done eating.

“After all, I have plenty of other customers to serve,” she said.

“Is this place seriously our only option?” Takayama asked on their way out. “I refuse to cash out a single penny more to that terrible woman.”

“Her fishcakes were delicious, though,” Kagami murmured, feeling something vibrating in his pocket. Somebody was calling. Unknown number.

“It’s Kagami Taiga.”

“Kagami?” Kagami immediately recognized Aida Riko’s high-pitched voice. She was one of the few women that Kagami actually hanged out with during high school, a woman that he had come to respect as time passed by. “It’s Riko.”

“Coach,” Kagami said out of old habit.

“I called to tell you that-“

“What the hell,” Kagami hissed, lowering his phone as he noticed a gang of guys on bicycles approaching them. There were thirteen of them, all rocking leather jackets, probably thinking that they looked super badass. “I’ll call you back later, Riko.”

When Kagami and his team members were all surrounded, clearly outnumbered, one guy got off his bicycle and stepped up in front of Kagami. He was about the same height as Kagami, only younger and much more muscular of building.

“Kagami Taiga,” he spat out.

“Do I know you?” Kagami asked without interest, causing the whole crowd to gasp in disbelief. _How can you not know him_?

“No, but I heard of you,” the talkative guy smirked. “My name is Saito Akira and I challenge you to a one on one match.

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested,” Kagami replied and nodded towards his team members. “Let’s go.”

As Kagami tried to move past Saito, the other leather jackets blocked for Kagami’s path so that he couldn't break free from the crowd.

“Please stay, old man,” Saito pretended to beg, pulling off a nice voice. “After all, I came the whole way over here to have a match with you.”

Kagami wasn’t affected by Saito’s rude behaviour. He used to be that other guy, mocking a talented player into playing against him. Actually, Kagami could recognize parts of his younger self when glancing at Saito – _besides the whole ganging up stunt and the ridiculously bad taste in fashion, of course. Leather jackets and baggy worn-off jeans, is that how young people dress nowadays?_

“I’m afraid your whole trip has been in vain,” Kagami kept his cool. As much as he wanted to smack the guy in the face for his arrogance, Kagami reasoned with himself that he had to keep up an image in front of his team members.

“Fine,” Saito said and snapped with his fingers, and the leather jackets standing closest to Kagami immediately stepped aside. It was like watching a bunch of dogs obeying their master. _These dudes must really respect this bastard,_ Kagami realized.

Just as Kagami was making his way past Saito, Saito just had to add another comment. Kagami had seen it coming; one thing he had learned in his basketball days was that bastards never know when to shut up. However, what Kagami didn’t expect was the words coming out from Saito’s mouth, a silent whisper that only Kagami could hear. “I guess even the strongest will eventually fall. Take Aomine Daiki as an example.”

Saito had hit a soft spot. Before Kagami could grasp the situation, his hands were already grabbing Saito’s collar, forcing Saito to his toes. “What do you want?”

“I heard that your contract at Zenji will soon expire,” Saito said with a smirk. “If I win, you will coach at Rakuzan High.”

Kagami let go of Saito and grinned. He felt his fingers itching to destroy Saito. In fact, it had been a long time since he had felt such a rush of adrenaline.

“And if I win?”

“You decide,” Saito said.

“If I win, all your bicycles belong to us,” Kagami exclaimed, causing his team members to face palm.

The deal was sealed with a firm handshake.

 

-

 

“I don’t think I can watch this,” Ueto said. He stood outside the fence surrounding the outdoor basket court with his fellow team members, waiting for Kagami and Saito to start their match. The air was humid, making it hard to breathe. “Coach will be so crushed. Saito is Rakuzan’s best player at the moment. Only a second year, but I heard that Rakuzan only made the first place at Winter cup last year due to his attributions.”

“Have some faith in our coach, please,” Kondo said. The very moment his words slipped out, Saito was making his way towards the middle of the court, looking even broader and strong without his jacket on. “Never mind, coach is doomed.”

A sound of whistle, and the game had started. The team members at Zenji were all covering their eyes with their hands as Saito managed to get the ball, moving towards his target with incredible speed. “Amazing…”

All of a sudden, Kagami was right behind Saito just as he was going for a shot. Everything went so fast that nobody could register it. Within a second the ball was stolen from Saito, and Kagami dribbled to the half-court line and jumped. His team members had their mouths wide open; never had they seen such a terrific jump. The ball went straight into the loop. Out of the blue, the sound of clapping behind them. Only then did the Zenji team members notice a stranger amidst them. A guy in his forties, a suit and tie guy. How long had he been there?

“It seems like you guys have no confidence in your coach,” the man said. “Perhaps you’re unaware of the fact that he was offered a spot on the national team after graduation and that he himself declined?”

Meanwhile, Kagami’s phone kept vibrating in the pocket of his jacket, but Takayama who was in charge of it was unable to hear it, too caught up with the match. _All along he had acted so humble. I understand now, a true pro doesn’t talk about the things he can accomplish. He just does it._


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Although Kagami lead by fourteen points, he didn’t let his guard down, impressed by the other man’s physique. Saito’s defence was undeniable phenomenal, pushing Kagami to an extent where sweat had started to form on his forehead. Saito, on the other hand, wasn’t even close to exhaustion, nothing implying that they had been going on for almost an hour. Kagami reminded himself that he had to step up his game and start working out on regular basis. Hitting the gym would be a great place to start.

_And what’s with the smiling?_ Kagami thought. A discrete smile was plastered across Saito’s face; he didn’t look like a person who was about to lose.

As Kagami zigzagged past Saito, he sped up and went for a slam-dunk. Afterwards, he was gasping for air, one arm resting on his bent legs, the other hand wiping off his forehead beneath the hamper. The whistle blew, and as Kagami was handed a bottle of water from one of his team members, he saw a leather jacket next to Saito, leaning in to whisper something. The content must have been of great amusement, seeing satisfaction spread on Saito’s face.

“Let’s call it quits,” Saito announced across the court.

“What?” Kagami scoffed, rather confused. “We still got 20 minutes.”

“20 minutes won’t change the fact that you are my superior,” Saito admitted, no taunt but a frankness that was rather admirable. “Thank you for the match. I have a feeling that we will meet again soon.”

Saito exited the court and walked off with his team members, leaving Kagami in a shocked state. _What just happened? He is no doubt a psycho_ , Kagami was convinced; _no man can change his personality that fast_. Kagami had a bad feeling in his stomach. Somehow, it seemed like Saito didn’t start the game with the purpose of winning.

 

-

 

It turned out that Saito was a man of words. As Kagami and his fellow members rounded the corner of the sports centre, they found 13 bicycles left behind.

Fifteen minutes on a bike was all it took them to reach the beach, a stunning sunset above their heads as they ate ice cream on the bathing jetty, legs hanging in thin air. There was a chilly breeze that Kagami found quite relieving, his body still in the process of cooling down after the match.

“You nailed him big time,” Kondo praised. “I didn’t doubt you for a second, coach.”

Except for Kagami, everybody glared at Kondo. _You big liar_.

“I must admit, he was a quite tough opponent,” Kagami said. “The only thing he lacked was experience, the kind that can only be achieved through time.”

“Coach, why have you never told us that you were considered for the national team?” Ueto finally spilled after gathering enough strength to do so. _And more importantly, why did you not take the opportunity?_

Kagami immediately stopped eating his ice cream, his face devoid from emotions. “Where did you get that from?”

_How_? Kagami had never told a living soul. Even his own mother he had kept in the unknown, and yet, a secret that he had buried deep within himself had somehow found its way up to the surface. _How?_

“Ugh, earlier a guy showed up during the match.” Ueto explained.

“Which guy?” Kagami’s phone was buzzing in his pocket. “Hold on.”

27 missed calls from Riko. “Riko? I’m sor-“

“You damn bastard! Don’t fucking tell me that you did it?” Riko burst out, forcing Kagami to keep the phone further away from his ears. Riko sounded furious, like she was ready to kill something.

Kagami hated nothing more than false accusations. “Slow down, Riko, what the hell are you blabbering about?”

“Did you agree to cooperate with Morita Ken?”

Morita Ken was Japan’s most infamous documentarian, specifically known for covering taboo-related topics regarding the Japanese society. Abroad he was regarded as a hero among the journalists, admired for his confidence and honest reporting of all the shit going on in Japan. To the Japanese government, however, Morita was a nuisance, a loud voice that needed to be shut down. A few years back, rumours were that the government had paid the yakuza to get rid of Morita once and for all. The rumour was not entirely unlikely, seeing that Morita was constantly moving into people’s comfort zones, turning their lives upside down, the truth above anything else. Kagami didn’t know why Riko would bring up Morita, but what he knew for sure was that he wouldn’t dream of ever inviting Morita into his life. “I don’t understand,” Kagami got up on his feet, walking a few steps away from the crowd.

“Then would you bother explaining to me why the hell you’re all over the Internet?”

 

 

-

 

_[“NHK World, directly reporting. After a whole year of hiatus, infamous documentarian, Morita Ken, has finally unveiled his newest project. On his blog, a 2-minute long video going by the name ‘The basketball scandal’ has been posted, displaying previous elite basketball members. The list goes like this: …………Kagami Taiga……… and Aomine Daiki. It has not yet been confirmed what Morita Ken is exactly up to…”]_

Kagami’s grip around the phone tightened as he saw himself on the news broadcast, doing his final dunk. He had been played. The fucking idiot, Saito Akira, had played him and was probably laughing his ass off by now. Angering him on purpose by mentioning Aomine. It was all     planned. All for a fucking footage. _Damn right you are. I will see you sooner than you think._

“No,” Kagami whispered, feeling sick when Aomine’s side-profile appeared on the screen. He was getting off a bus. Unexpectedly, Aomine all of sudden turns his head, his eyes looking straight into the camera before quickly covering his face, walking off. Kagami replayed the scene, pausing at the picture of deep blue eyes. Kagami let his fingers slide across Aomine’s face and felt his heart hurting. _You can try to forget,_ Kagami told himself, _but you never really forgot._

 

-            

 

Only ten minutes after the video had been uploaded on Morita Ken’s blog, the video instantly received 500k views and 1200 shares. As likes kept coming in, Morita Ken was sitting at his working desk, old articles, basketball charts and rankings all across it. He was eyeing a picture of a tall redhead among other Seirin members. The picture dated back to spring 2010. “Kagami Taiga. What’s your secret? How are you involved in all this?”

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

[Flashback] [Part 1/2]

_Kagami hated how his legs looked in dress pants and quickly disregarded them on the floor. Seirin had been told by their coach to put on a suit for the new years celebration, which were taking place at a 5 star hotel later that evening, but Kagami saw no reason to dress up differently just to welcome a new year. The problem was that Riko had gone as far as to buy the outfit for him, guilt tripping him into wearing it for tonight. Kagami held the tacky white shirt over his upper body and looked into the mirror, wrinkling his nose by the sight. ‘No way I’m going to wear this.’ Kagami threw the shirt on top of the dress pants and put on a casual white tee, topping it with the grey blazer that Riko had handed over to him after the last training session. “Hm, it fits perfectly,” Kagami was amazed, “I never told her my size. Then again, her father’s a sports trainer.”_

_Kagami only waited five minutes in the cold driveway before a white car rolled up in front of him. “Oy, what’s up?” Teppei greeted from the passenger’s seat as Kagami slipped in on the back seat. As usual, Kuroko was behind the wheel, most convenient since alcohol wasn’t his thing, believed to reduce his ability to misdirect._

_“I’m so thrilled,” Kagami said. “Let’s get fucking wasted!”_

_Kuroko let out a heavy sigh. With their packed training schedule, alcohol was most of the time a complete no-go, but when the opportunity was there, Teppei and Kagami made sure to indulge themselves in bad jokes, unacceptable pranks and childish behaviour._

_As the three guys entered a small local bar not too far away from where Kagami lived, they were surprised to find the place completely empty. “What did you guys expect?” Kuroko said. “Nobody starts drinking at seven o’clock! Normal people are still having dinner!”_

_Although devoid of people, they decided to stay. The room was nicely decorated, the inn woman was nice and the beer was quite cheap. What was there to complain about?_

_“Kanpai!” Kagami could not remember how many times they had touched glasses, but he could feel a comfortable heat in his cheeks._

_“You’ll start,” Kagami said and handed Teppei a dice. It was their first round of truth and dare._

_Teppei turned the dice. He got a two, even numbers representing a truth question. “Bring it on,” Teppei challenged._

_“Who’s the hottest girl you met?” Kagami asked. “Celebrities not included.”_

_Teppei’s eyes lit up as a child’s. “Oh, that’s easy,” his words triggering curiosity from the other two. “Momoi. No woman can compare with her beauty.”_

_“What?” Kagami tried to sound disappointed. “You can’t have a thing for the enemy! Also, now that we kicked Töö’s ass last month, you have zero chance of hooking up with her.”_

_“She can do an analysis on me anytime,” Teppei said dreamily before his eyes went sharp. “If only she wasn’t around that bastard Aomine constantly.”_

_“You don’t stand a chance,” Kagami teased. “You don’t even have her number.”_

_“I do,” Kuroko confessed casually as if it wasn’t that big of a deal. He hadn’t said much for a while, but now he got Teppei’s full attention. “Should I call her?”_

_-_

_Kagami might be drunk, but not to the extent where all judgement had left him entirely. Among his close friends, Teppei was known to have a drinking history of impulsive street fights. Very hard to imagine, indeed, since he was the most mature person that Kagami knew when sober. Knowing these facts, walking straight into the enemy’s cave seemed like a bloody stupid idea to Kagami. Then again, who was he to stop Teppei from giving it a shot? Through thick and thin, bros should always have each other’s backs, suicide or not._

_Momoi was apparently at a in-club not that far away from where they were. As they entered the club, Töö Academy players were not the only ones to be found; there were also people from Kaijö high and Shütoku high. “What the hell! Thanks for the invitation,” Teppei said sarcastically, being so loud that everybody turned to look at him._

_Momoi immediately approached them and gave Kuroko a big hug. “Tetsu, I’ve been missing you!” she squealed cutely, making Teppei blush as if he was the one being given the attention. Kagami was way too sober to see his friend making a fool out of himself, so he went to the bar to buy something to drink. While waiting for the beer, he suddenly felt an arm around his neck._

_“Kagami, what a surprise to see you,” Kise was being his cheerful self. “Come join my table after you fetch something to drink.”_

_“Okay,” Kagami agreed._

_Kise was sitting with another person by a small table in the corner of the room. As Kagami came closer, balancing with two mugs of beer, he recognized that the third person in the dark blue suit was Aomine Daiki._

_“My, isn’t it Seirin’s hero?” Just as expected, off the court Aomine was being a huge jerk as well._

_“Aominecchi,” Kise scoffed, “didn’t you promise me not to bring anything related to basketball up? Kagami, don’t mind him.”_

_Kagami decided to ignore Aomine’s comment. Tonight he wanted to enjoy himself; all that drama shit could wait for any other day. “So why are you all gathered here? Is the new year resolution to reunite the generation of miracles?”_

_Kise laughed. “No, believe it or not, I’d rather think of it as a ‘declare your love for Momoi’ event. The only reason why I’m here is because Kasamatsu asked me to take him.”_

_“Oh, same here with Teppei,” Kagami admitted._

_“You guys are so annoying,” Aomine was clearly irritated, arms crossed. “I don’t reckon inviting any of you to sit with me. There are plenty of other tables free.”_

_Kise let his arm surround Aomine. “Aomine, don’t be so mean! You used to be so cute in middle school.”_

_“Let go,” Aomine pushed Kise away from him. “And if you ever call me cute again, I will kill you.”_

_‘Those two seem very close,’ Kagami thought silently. ‘How can Kise manage to talk so comfortably with that cold bastard?’_

_“Well,” Kise said all of a sudden and got up from his seat. “I’m going out for a cigarette. Anyone care to join?”_

_“No,” Aomine and Kagami declined in unison. The second Kagami and Aomine were left to themselves, Kagami regret that he hadn’t left with Kise. What could he possibly talk about with Aomine? Apparently, however, Aomine seemed to have a lot on his mind, now that Kise wasn’t there to repress his arrogance._

_“You do know that your victory last month was due to pure luck,” Aomine sounded ever so confident. “Had it been a one on one match, I would beat you anytime, and you know it.”_

_“You shut up and drink,” Kagami pushed a mug across the table. “Pick your fight any other day. Tonight I’m getting drunk.”_


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

[Flashback] [Part 2/2]

_They say that alcohol reinforces your personal traits, and just like that the competitiveness of Aomine and Kagami grew more evident as each minute passed by. Eventually, they found themselves by the pool table, Kagami taking a sip of beer as Aomine bends slightly over the table, firm grip on the cue stick, preparing for a break. Kagami couldn’t help but notice how strong Aomine’s arm looked as it was stretched out in front of him; when he caught himself in thinking that, Kagami immediately forced his eyes away from the other man, glancing on the floor as he tried to get a grip of himself. What was wrong with him? He had enjoyed the past two hours with Aomine to the extent that he had ignored several phone calls from Riko, and what’s with the odd feeling in his stomach, like being on a non-stopping roller coaster._

_“You’re not bad,” Aomine said as the game progressed, their eyes meeting for a short while. ‘Had Aomine’s eyes always been so clear,’ Kagami wondered. He wasn’t sure if the alcohol had turned Aomine into a more decent person, or if it had blurred his own judgement. Nonetheless, Kagami swallowed the rest of his beer, trying to drown his train of thoughts._

_Guesting competitive teams in a small-sized club was bound to go wrong soon or later. The game was cut off midway as Momoi came rushing up to Aomine, heavy breathing and a teary face. “Kasamatsu and Teppei are having a fight! Please do something!”_

_Only with great effort did Aomine and Kagami manage to hold a furious and drunk Teppei down on the floor, arms and legs flinging about. “Let go! I’ll kill that idiot!”_

_“What are you saying?” Kasamatsu was tripping on his feet, being arm locked by Kise. “Try saying it to my face, you bastard!”_

_It didn’t matter how the fight started. It didn’t matter that Kuroko was slightly pissed at Kagami for not leaving with him and Teppei, nor did it matter that he had bruised his hand while holding Teppei down. What truly mattered was how Aomine afterwards had his arms placed around Momoi’s slender shoulders, his head resting on hers, allowing her to cry out. It became very clear to Kagami that he didn't like it one bit. Actually it annoyed the shit out of him, the gentleness in Aomine’s eyes unbearable to watch._

_Without as much as a word, Kagami believed that he could leave the party without people taking notice to it. However, as he waited at the wardrobe, he felt a warm hand on his shoulder. “Where do you think you’re going?” Aomine breathed into his neck. “We haven’t finished the game yet.”_

_“I’m going to see my teammates;” Kagami said, avoiding eye contact with the other. “I’m already running la-“_

_Kagami didn’t get to finish his sentence as he noticed a suspicious guy entering the club, cap and sunglasses, short and cautious steps, stiff movements. Aomine saw how Kagami’s eyes shifted and turned around to see for himself. “I saw that guy somewhere,” Aomine muttered, trying to remember where he had seen the guy. He was taken by surprise as Kagami grabbed his hand, pulling him across the room, through a door with the sign ‘staff only’._

_“Wait, it says staff-“ Aomine tried to make Kagami stop, but Kagami didn’t speed down. Aomine was dragged up numerous of stairs, his hand growing numb in Kagami’s tight grasp, and just as he thought these stairways would never end, they were facing a heavy metal door._

_As they reached the roof, Kagami finally let go of Aomine’s hand. Aomine dropped his knees to the floor, trying to catch his breath. Running was usually never a problem, but with a high blood alcohol level, Aomine felt devastated. “What the hell?” he cursed._

_Kagami was out of breath as well. “That guy is from Sports Illustrated. Somebody probably gave them a tip that we were here. Did you see the camera beneath his jacket?”_

_“Do they have nothing better to do on a day like this?” Aomine joked, closing his eyes and letting his body lie flat on the ground. “How ironic. My plan for tonight was to fall asleep on my own roof. But that annoying Satsuki insisted that I had to show up for the team, and yet, now I find myself on a roof, just much further up.”_

_Kagami felt uneasiness rising in his chest by the mentioning of Momoi, which made absolutely no sense, because who could honestly hate Momoi? No, it was Aomine’s fault, being his unpleasant selfish self. Kagami wanted to let it go, but a part of him needed to project his anger onto Aomine. “You are such a pitiful little man. You keep saying that you lost due to luck, but the fact is that you lost and there’s nothing you can do about it. It’s all a matter a time before your teammates will lose respect to you, and we all know that a team without confidence is a lost cause.”_

_Of course Kagami didn’t mean a single word, but he needed this, a way to protect himself. When the words left his mouth, it was already too late. Aomine’s eyes shot open, and fast as the wind he was on his feet, right next to Kagami in no time. The punch against Kagami’s chest was with such a great force that he stumbled backwards and landed on his ass, pain flushing through his body. “Say it again,” Aomine’s hands were shaking, watching as Kagami got up._

_“I said, your teammates all hate you, and now that your basketball has failed-“ Kagami ducked just in time as another fist was directed at him. Aomine got even more furious as his attempt to hit Kagami failed. He decided for another strategy; with bent knees he steered towards Kagami, tackling Kagami to the ground. Although taken off-guard, Kagami managed to punch Aomine in the face and turn the situation around, him on top of Aomine, holding Aomine’s arms stretched above his head._

_“You damn bastard!” Aomine tried to get free, but Kagami didn’t budge. “I-“_

_Aomine’s words were cut off and his body stiffened in shock when Kagami leant down and pressed his cold lips against his. Kagami felt how the other man beneath him went stiff, how his struggling arms lost strength. Kagami suddenly broke off the kiss, covering his bloody lips as he looked down on Aomine with disbelief._

_Aomine stared up at Kagami, eyes dark blue as the night, unreadable. “Don’t you ever do that again,” Aomine said, voice softer than he intended to. In that instant the fireworks exploded above them, a new year had begun. Kagami was on his knees, Aomine beneath him with an arm supporting his body, their faces only inches apart. Kagami then grabbed Aomine’s shirt and pulled him close for a kiss. This time Aomine let Kagami kiss him._


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Rumours, whether good or bad, true or false, it doesn’t matter. Once unfolded, they have come to stay, not retreating before people’s lives are left unrecognizable. You can try to prove your innocence, but among the crowd there will always be one person unconvinced, and that person will keep sharing his conviction.

Only a short while after they had returned to the hotel, Kagami had summoned all his team members to the lobby. He was standing next to a bench, team members taking a seat as they came one by one. The atmosphere was gloomy, nobody uttering a word. Kagami had always imagined how nice it would be if only his team members would zip their busy running mouths at times, giving him space to think, but it turned out that the reality of this wish was hardly pleasing, rather of the torturing kind. Everybody kind of expected what this conversation would be about; after all it was all over the news, but Kagami was afraid that they hadn’t seen it all coming.

“I have some bad news to break,” Kagami said, his hands coming together. “You all probably know what’s currently going on in the media. I have just received a phone call from the headmaster. I have been told to immediately retreat from my position as your coach.”

“What? Coach, you can’t leave us now!”

Kagami couldn’t stand to watch the frustrated faces of his team members, how the hope slowly shrank within them. “I’m afraid there’s nothing I can do at the moment, but I’ll reassure you that I will try to fix this misunderstanding. As it stands now, an old friend of mine, Kiyoshi Teppei, will take over for me. He’s on the way right now and will arrive by tonight. When he gets here I will be returning to Tokyo. You guys shouldn’t be worrying. Kiyoshi is an excellent coach.”

-

“Long time no see,” Kiyoshi and Kagami bumped fists. “It’s been years, hasn’t it? How have you been, Kagami?”

“Same, same, Kiyoshi, how about you? I saw your kids on Facebook, congrats.”

Kiyoshi laughed, scratching his head with one hand. “Oh, well, being a full-time dad has surely ruined my form. However, my cooking skills have improved quite a lot. You should come by sometime, I’ll cook for you.”

“I will,” Kagami grinned before turning serious. “I’m sorry for having to ask you this favour, hopefully it will only be temporary.”

Kiyoshi placed a hand on Kagami’s shoulder, smiling reassuringly. “Don’t think about it. My wife was overjoyed when she heard about it. I guess she’s getting tired of me sticking around all the time. Maybe she’s afraid that I’m going to beat her in cooking.”

“You’re a true friend,” Kagami was touched.

“Mate, if you start crying now I will punch you in the face,” Kiyoshi joked. Meanwhile, the team members were watching on the side-line. ‘We’ve never seen our coach joking around like this.’

As Kagami was getting on the bus, Kiyoshi called out for him. “Kagami. I don’t know what all this is about, but stay strong. We are all counting for you. Riko, Kuroko, Hyuga, all of us.”

Kagami nodded and waved his farewell. ‘Even I don’t know what this is about.’

-

Kagami yawned as he reached his parents’ house. The bus trip had been an absolute hell. Apparently there’s one thing worse than listening to a bunch of teenage kids with crazy hormones for several hours; a group of retired men with full supplies of sake and lifetime stories.

“I’m home,” Kagami closed the door behind him and removed his shoes. Normally his mother would rush out to greet him, but today wasn’t the case. It was not like she wasn’t home, seeing that her shoes were out there. Kagami left his luggage by the shoes and went into the kitchen, a nice smell of his favourite ramen soup filling his nostrils as he opened the lit to see what was down there.

“Mother?” Kagami could hear laughing voices before he pushed open the door to the living room. His mother was sitting by the table next to some man; she was showing him pictures from old family albums.

When his mother took notice of his presence, she quickly got to her feet and went to hug him. “Son, you’re finally home. We’ve been waiting for you.”

‘We?’ Kagami glanced at the stranger, a man in his fifties, black bushy brows, hair grey, a stylish suit. Then it hit him. “What the fuck are you doing here?”

“Taiga,” his mom was embarrassed that her son could talk like that. “I’m very sorry, Mr. Morita.”

“Why are you being sorry, mom? You invite a man into our house who is about to destroy my life!” This was probably the first time Kagami had ever shouted at his mother, and he felt like it was damn valid.

“It’s all a misunderstanding, Taiga,” his mother tried to calm him down.

“I just lost my job due to this bastard,” Kagami pointed at Morita, his hand shaking from anger. He wanted to jump over and strangle that old fuck. ‘How dare he involve my family?’

“Mrs. Kagami, can I have a word with your son alone?”

When Kagami’s mom walked out of the room, Morita got up from his seat and walked up to Kagami. Morita was taller than the media let him be.

“You must be confused,” Morita asked, no sarcasm in his voice.

“Damn right, I am,” Kagami didn't want to be let out of the unknown anymore. “Stop beating around the bush. What is going on?”

“Alright, sit down,” Morita sat down himself. “Go on. Or I won’t tell you.”

The chair almost broke when Kagami dropped down on the chair in front of Morita. Morita pulled a paper out of the pocket in his suit and placed it on the table between them. Kagami leaned in and quickly skimmed the paper, listing most of the names of the players included in Morita’s documentary.

“The players accepted to the national team five years ago,” Kagami said. “What’s new in this?”

Morita smirked, tapping his finger on the paper. “Don’t you find something odd in there?”

Kagami looked back to the paper. “No?”

“Well, it’s because you think that you are looking at the final list.”

Morita then pointed to the date in the upper right corner of the paper. “This is the original draft, written in spring, half a year before the final announcement. I got my hands on this hidden document a year ago. Aomine Daiki was the strongest player at the time, internationally recognized for his talent. You could imagine how surprised I was to find that his name was not included here, seeing that this paper was written even before the scandal broke out. I did some research, but no clues, everybody’s shutting up about it, like they’re all damn afraid of something. Then I heard a bird sing about a talented redhead back then who was able to lift Seirin from the ground, making it into one of the strongest high school teams. It seemed like everybody knew about you, but when I looked up in old archives, there was no sign of you, so I started to wonder whether Kagami Taika was a phantom. I contacted a close friend of mine who has great connections; he told me that you were considered for the national team right before the announcements, but that you outright refused to take the offer. So now I would like to know, why did you not take it?”


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> xD WARNING! Not for the gentle soul.

[Flashback]

_It’s been three months since that stupid kiss on the rooftop. Kagami hadn’t seen the mere shadow of the other player ever since; it was almost as if Aomine had gone underground. ‘It didn’t matter,’ Kagami thought in the beginning, it was clearly a mistake, they were drunk, shit happens when you’re drunk. Yet, as time passed by, no matter how much Kagami tried to distract himself with basketball, his thoughts kept drifting back to the previous ace of the generation of miracles, how he so badly wanted to kiss him again._

_‘No, you’re not attracted to him in that kind of way,’ Kagami tried to convince himself, ‘you like girls, Kagami, he only excites you because he’s unbeatable on court.’ But one night as Kagami was pleasing himself in the shower, he was unconsciously imagining Aomine’s bare and toned back before him with hands against the wall, letting Kagami rub against his ass without complaint. As Kagami came against the wall, water immediately washing it away, he felt the shame spread within him._

_Kagami desperately needed to get his mind off the other man, so when Riko the following day came with a proposal for the up-coming weekend, Kagami was all ears. “This weekend Fuji elementary school’s annual school camp will take place. The purpose of the camp is to motivate the kids to a healthy lifestyle by emphasizing the importance of nutrition and exercise. I’ve been asked if one of you guys could be interested in meeting up and do a 30min presentation about basket-“_

_“I’ll do it!” Kagami interrupted, hands waving, eager to accept. The other members let out a sigh of relief, ‘thank you Kagami.’_

_Riko pouted and then smiled. “I haven’t even told you about the perks yet. As a volunteer, board and lodging is provided the entire weekend. And you know, the area surrounding the camp is famous for its beautiful nature and hot springs. Also, Saturday night they will throw a festival.”_

_Hyuuga glared at Riko, one hand under his chin. “Volunteer? It sounds rather suspicious?”_

_Riko smiled evilly. “Well, in exchange for cooking and cleaning, of course. We’re talking about elementary kids, they need a hand.”_

_Kagami growled. “I knew it.”_

_-_

_Friday morning. Kagami felt ecstatic as Kuroko dropped him off not too far from the camp. “This is as far as we can get by car,” Kuroko was seated in the car, window rolled down as Kagami threw his backpack on. “You need to walk straight through the woods for about 2 kilometres and then turn left when the path splits into two, then you should be able to see the camp.”_

_“Thanks for the ride,” Kagami grinned. “Get home safe.”_

_“Have fun,” Kuroko then drove off. Kagami walked into the woods, the picture of endless rows of sakura trees making him stop for a while, taking in the beautiful view. The air here was much more fresh than in the city – Kagami felt like he had made the right decision to come here._

_Kagami could hear the sound of children’s laughter long before he reached the camp. Innocent and happy, kids in their natural state. The camp consisted of countless of small wooden cottages spread out on a rather big area surrounded by a picket fence, low enough for Kagami to jump over it, but high enough to keep elementary kids within the camp._

_Kagami noticed some kids playing soccer not too far away from where he was standing. ‘After my presentation, they’ll be playing basketball,’ Kagami was confident._

_“Hey you, are you one of the volunteers,” an older man with glasses and a rather flat nose was walking towards Kagami, wearing a blue tracksuit._

_“Ugh, yes, my name is Kagami Taiga,” Kagami bowed. “I’m here to do a presentation about basketball.”_

_The man’s eyes suddenly widened, confusion painted in his face. “What? But… the basketball guy already arrived…”_

_-_

_The man who was in charge of the volunteers pushed the door open to a cotton with a red “7” painted on the door. Kagami walked in; this cotton was small, only room enough for a small bed and a tiny desk, unlike the other cottons that could house up to four people. “It’s empty,” the man talked to himself. “Hey you, wait here, I’ll come back in a sec.”_

_Kagami walked up to the bed and stopped as his feet suddenly bumped into something. Looking down, he saw a sports bag half pushed beneath the bed, a black item falling out of the bag. Kagami reached down and picked up a black shoe. ‘Cant be…’_

_Kagami suddenly heard the door creaking behind him. “What the hell are you doing here,” an angry, yet familiar voice spoke out, Aomine standing at the entrance of the room._

_“Eh,” Kagami was taken back by Aomine’s angry voice. Before he could find something to say, Aomine snatched the shoe away from him, threw it down the bag and sat down on the edge of the bed._

_“How are you?” Kagami asked, feet tripping, feeling like a complete fool. This was much more awkward than he had imagined._

_“I’m fine the instant you leave this room,” Aomine was staring at the wall behind Kagami, his voice devoid from emotions._

_“Aomine-“ Aomine’s foul language was rather usual, but this time, oddly, Kagami was deeply affected by the other man’s dismissive behaviour, his unfair words ripping Kagami from the inside._

_Aomine didn’t let Kagami speak. “Get out,” he demanded, still not eyeing Kagami. Kagami swallowed the spit forming in his mouth and tightened his grasp around the strap of his back._

_“As you wish,” Kagami tried to sound cool before heading to the half-opened door, the sun casting light into the room._

_As Kagami reached his hand out to push the door wide open, Aomine spoke, his voice ice cold. “I’m not like you, so don’t bother appearing in front of me again.”_

_The words made Kagami snap. ‘Not like you?’ Although they were drunk that night, Kagami could still remember how Aomine had clung to Kagami’s shirt, eagerly returning his kiss as if life was on stake._

_“Nobody fucking forced you,” Kagami had never been angrier in his entire life. Instead of opening the door, Kagami pushed the door close with a slam and locked it, feeling the rationality leaving his senses for good. For months he hadn’t been able to think about anything else than this bastard, the thoughts driving him insane, longing, missing, and yet Aomine had the balls to pretend like they didn’t share a moment, like it was Kagami who had forced himself on him._

_“What are you doing,” Aomine got up from the bed, brows raised, as Kagami dropped his jacket and bag to the floor. Aomine flinched as Kagami’s hand came straight towards him, hand punching the wall right beside Aomine’s head. Aomine’s eyes were wide open in shock. “You-“_

_Kagami grabbed Aomine by the arm and shoved him down on the bed, stomach and face flat against the mattress. Aomine strained his neck in order to lift his face slightly from the mattress to speak. “You bastard. What are you doing? Let go. If you don’t get off me, I’ll kill you.”_

_Kagami pressed the other man’s face down on the mattress again and straddled Aomine so that he couldn’t move. “I’m not like you?” Kagami scoffed, his hand starting to rub the front of Aomine’s jeans. “Yet, you’re all hard for me.”_

_With difficulty Kagami managed to unbuckle Aomine’s jeans with one hand and slipped his fingers beneath the other man’s underwear, hands slipping around Aomine’s warm cock._

_“Ugh, let go,” Aomine tried to sound strong, but his words came out as a mere whisper. He grit his teeth together, trying to hold his breath, but as Kagami sped up, hand pumping rapidly, Aomine started to pant softly, eyes closing in shame._

_“You’re enjoying yourself, aren’t you, Aomine,” Kagami was aroused from watching Aomine, the always cheeky and invincible Aomine, completely helpless spread out in front of him. With his free hand, Kagami pulled Aomine’s pants down just beneath his buttocks and then unbuckled his own pants. Aomine didn’t notice anything before he could feel it; something wet pressing against his butt._

_“Ha, w-what are you doing?” Aomine sounded scared._

_“Stay still,” Kagami said, rubbing his pre-cum covered cock against Aomine’s entrance._

_“Kagami, get off me,” Aomine plead._

_“Hmm…” Kagami licked two of his fingers and shoved them inside the other man. Aomine’s entire body was shaking, sweat forming on his face._

_“It doesn’t work like that, Kagami,” Aomine tried to talk sense into Kagami, trying to get free from Kagami’s grasp, but Kagami was too strong. “Ow-“_

_Kagami couldn’t describe the feeling as he pushed his cock into Aomine’s tight hole, an amazing heat surrounding his cock. He couldn’t get enough of the sensation, how Aomine unwillingly tightened around him, the small muffled cries from Aomine as he was pushed harder against the mattress for each time Kagami had backed almost out only to shove it right in again._

_“Look at me,” Kagami yanked Aomine’s head up, so he could get a glance of Aomine’s face. Aomine looked stunning, cheeks flushed, eyes wet, mouth open, spit running down the corner of his mouth as he was gasping for air._

_Kagami kissed Aomine’s neck, eyes closing and teeth biting hard down on the other man’s neck as he came._


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Morita broke the silence with a heavy sigh, hands supporting his chin, elbows on the table. “You’re not going to tell me, are you? Why would a young and talented guy like you miss out on such a great opportunity, I wonder. I mean, isn’t the whole idea of practising to get on the national team? Kagami, should I make a guess? People often tell me that I’m quite good at guessing.”

Kagami didn’t answer, so Morita took it as a sign to continue. “I believe that you’re involved in the drug scandal five years ago,” his words not surprising Kagami, since the footage kinda said it all.

Just as Kagami thought that this was all Morita could come up with, he realized that he had clearly underestimated the documentarian. “I also believe that you played a role in framing Aomine Daiki,” Morita stated.

“You,” Kagami slammed his fist against the surface of the table. _Morita Ken, an honest reporter? Don’t kid me, it’s all about the money, exciting headlines, nothing to do with the truth,_ “-don't know what you’re talking about.”

Morita Ken smiled, reverse psychology never failing to reveal the true nature of his interviewee, pushing them to talk, to shield themselves from the false accusations. “I’m kidding. For a fact, I know that he used to be a dear friend of yours.”

Kagami felt the pain throbbing in his chest. _A dear friend? If only… if only…_

Tears were suddenly running down Kagami’s cheeks, and as he quickly tried to wipe them away with his sleeve, more kept pouring out. _Why? Why am I crying, in front of a complete stranger?_

_-_

_[Flashback]_

_Kagami was sitting on the kerb outside the main building of the camp, all curled up with face buried in his knees. He had heard about tragic stories before, how ex-convicts admitted that they had lost their mind in the act, losing compete control of their body. Kagami had just had an experience like that. ‘What’s wrong with me? Why can’t I control myself whenever I see him? I’m losing my mind.’_

_“What are you doing? Are you crying?” Kagami looked up to find a short and chubby kid with mushroom-like hair sitting next to him. Since when had he been there?_

_“I’m not crying,” Kagami tried to sound cheerful, hand wiping his wet eyes. “I’m just allergic.”_

_“Oh, what happened to your face?” the boy asked, eyeing the fresh bruise at the corner of Kagami’s mouth. Kagami memorized how Aomine had punched him in the face before storming off, leaving Kagami with a swollen face and an hour of nose blood._

_“Oh, it’s nothing, I kinda deserved it,” Kagami said, feeling foolish for sharing his feelings with a kid._

_“How so?” the boy was curious. “Violence solves nothing, my mom tells me that all the time.”_

_“I hurt somebody. So it’s fully deserved,” Kagami assured the kid._

_“In that case, I think you should go apologize to that friend of yours,” the boy suggested. ‘Kids are simple. I wish I was a kid again,’ Kagami felt nostalgic for a second. The boys that Kagami had spotted earlier that day were still playing ball in the distant._

_“Why don’t you go over there and join them,” Kagami asked, the question making the boy laugh._

_“Me, soccer? You must be joking. Look at me, I’m not built for sports.”_

_‘Even kids have their worries’, Kagami thought, suddenly having the urge to cheer the kid up. “You know what?” Kagami made his voice sound interesting. “When I was your age, I was the shortest kid in my class, even the girls were heads taller, and everybody was laughing at me when I joined the basketball team, telling me that my height was a clear disadvantage. But then, over one summer, my body started to…”_

_Kagami’s childhood story made the boy laugh hard; Kagami was so busy engaged in the conversation that he forgot his own troubles for a short while, arms moving dramatically as he spoke._

_“Well,” Kagami got up. “I’m having a presentation in one hour. Why don’t you show up? If soccer’s not your thing, basketball might be. It’s in hall B.”_

_“I’ll be there,” the kid waved._

_-_

_Kagami hadn’t planned much for his presentation. The schedule would be the following: explaining how he personally got involved in basketball, going through the basic rules of the game and finish off with an overview of important tournaments and Japan’s standing in basketball._

_It turned out that it was for the best that he hadn’t spent much preparation time; only five kids showed up for the presentation, the kid he met earlier included. “Let’s wait for a few minutes,” Kagami told the kids, believing that some kids were running late, but after twenty minutes with nobody joining, Kagami lost hope. He grabbed the paper with the camp schedule, cursing when he found out that the soccer presentation was currently taking place._

_“Okay. Let’s start,” Kagami said, voice clearly annoyed. “Let me start off by telling you 10 reasons why basketball is much cooler than soccer!”_

_That day Kagami realized that he actually liked the company of kids. They were very enthusiastic, laughing at his stories and asking him numerous questions that made him reflect over things. “So when I joined Seirin-“ Kagami was about to tell the kids about the day when Riko forced them to shout from the roof, but he wasn’t able to finish the line. Before he saw it, he could hear it, the sound of a ball flying through the air. Kagami ducked just in time, the basketball clashing against the window behind him._

_Everybody turned their heads to the door, a guy with navy blue hair leaning against the doorway, a smirk on his face. “How long are you planning to bore them with your crap? How about showing them how the real game works?”_

_The kids all started small-talking, some of them recognizing the ace from the generation of miracles, excitement in their voices. Kagami stood still, glancing at Aomine, shocked to find that the other man hadn’t left the camp yet._

_“Are you deaf?” Aomine snarled impatiently, annoyed that Kagami wasn’t saying anything. “You and I, one on one outside.”_

_-_

_Everybody shouted in excitement as Aomine managed to get the ball into the hoop. The audience no longer consisted of five kids; the crowd only growing bigger for each second passing by- even the soccer kids ditching their own presentation, not willing to miss out on the game between Kagami and Aomine._

_Aomine didn’t look like someone who was about to win, a displeased expression on his face only growing gloomier for each additional score. As he got a hold of the ball again, Kagami approached him, blocking Aomine’s view of the hoop. “Is this all you can do,” Aomine mocked through gritted teeth, his voice only loud enough for Kagami to hear it. “Cut the crap. If you feel sorry for me, I will have to destroy you.”_

_Aomine tried to look like nothing had happened, but Kagami could see right through him. There was something about Aomine’s eyes, something in them that Kagami had never seen before._

_“Aomine is totally beating that guy’s arse…” some kids in the crowd agreed. “He doesn’t stand a chance…”_

_“Hey, the game can still turn,” the kid with the mushroom hair uttered._

_“Shut up, fatty… what do you know about basketball?”_

_The kid ignored the bullies and shouted out: “Kagami! You can do it!”_

_Aomine was still dribbling on the same spot before Kagami, their eyes intensely staring at each other. Kagami took a deep breath and broke the silence between them. “I’m sorry then, for beating your ass now,” making Aomine gasp in surprise as the ball was stolen from him, Kagami making his way past him._

_“Do you think you can outsmart me?” Aomine snapped, turning around and managing to catch up on Kagami in no time. Nobody could beat him in speed._

_As Kagami jumped to take a shot, Aomine was right in front of him, arms high above his head to counter the shot. Aomine thought that he was in control, but just as he believed that his fingers were about to strike the ball, Kagami went higher up in the air, ball flying from his hand with such a great force that Aomine fell to the ground, flat on his butt. Everybody cheered, thrilled to see the turn of events._

_Kagami extended his hand to Aomine, whose lips were trembling from anger. Instead of taking Kagami’s hand, Aomine got up himself and walked off, causing disappointment in the crowd. “Why is he leaving? The game was just starting to get interesting?”_

_Kagami stood and watched as Aomine walked off. He felt joy and pain at the same time. Joy that Aomine was still going on strong. Pain because he realized in that instant that he had feelings for the other man._

_-_

_Kagami was about to exit the camp area, when he heard somebody call his name. “Wait! Kagami! Wait!”_

_It was the kid with the mushroom hair. “Oy, kid, what’s up?”_

_“Are you already leaving?” the kid asked him._

_“Yeah. As much as I want to stay for the festival tomorrow, I have to go back to practice with my team,” Kagami smiled. “Oh my, I didn’t even get to try out the hot springs that Riko talked about.”_

_“There’s no hot springs around,” the kid told him._

_‘Rikoooooooooooo,’ Kagami hissed to himself._

_“It was a great game,” the kid said. “He must be the friend that you were talking about earlier. Hurry up and apologize.”_

_“Why, you-“ Kagami was speechless. This kid had to be a psychic._

_“Well, go back and practice,” the kid smiled brightly. “You inspired me. I decided that I will give basketball a try.”_

_Kagami ruffled the kid’s hair and smiled, happy that his presentation hadn’t been in vain. “Good luck, kid.”_

_“Next time you see me, I will be taller and stronger than you,” the kid said confidently._

_“I bet,” Kagami grinned._

_The kid waved at him. “Akira. Saito Akira. Remember my name.”_


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Kagami was gazing out the window, watching Morita’s silhouette exit the driveway. _I can’t trust this guy_ , Kagami’s instincts were strong, but a part of him really wanted to believe in the documentarian, in the words that the older man had spoken before taking a leave. ‘If you want to have a talk, give me a call sometime. After all, we are on the same side.”

Mrs. Kagami was watching the back of her son while pouring soup into a bowl, concern being a mother’s full time job. No matter how much Kagami tried to stay strong, to conceal his red eyes, she could read him as an open book. One would believe that as ones children grow up, parenting eventually becomes a much easier task, but Mrs. Kagami couldn’t disagree more. She feared that Kagami would fall back in misery, to his darker days where she could hardly recognize her son. _What shall I do? Was it stupid to let Morita Ken inside? I just wanted to clear out the misunderstanding._

-

“Taiga, wake up!” Kagami didn’t react to his mother’s calling and buried his face deeper into the pillow. It was the first time in months that he had slept more than six hours. _Maybe it’s not that bad to be unemployed_ , Kagami wondered.

“Taiga!” his mother insisted on him coming down. Kagami sighed and forced his body up from the bed, lazily pulling on a black T-shirt and a pair of red shorts. _I get it_ , he was quite irritated by the time his name was being repeated for the third time.

“What is it?” Kagami stuck his head out from his room.

“Get down here and say hello,” indicating that they had visitors. _Why the hell would she invite somebody so early_ , Kagami thought for a second before realizing that it was almost 1 pm. Had he really slept for that long?

As he entered the living room, a woman came rushing towards him, pulling him into an awkward hug. “Taiga, you look great as always,” she praised. “Noriko, you have such a handsome son. He surely takes after you. You must be so proud.”

Kagami scratched his neck, sweat starting to break out on his forehead as Mrs. Kagami laughed at her childhood friend. _Mother, don't…_

“Don’t be silly, Ayano,” Mrs Kagami waved her hand, causing Kagami to gulp in anxiety, “your daughters are much more a pleasure to the eye.”

“So they say,” Ayano’s face suddenly darkened and her sugar sweet voice turned evil, “and yet he dares to reject my daughter?!”

“I’m so sorry!” Kagami begged for his life with sweaty palms held together.

[Flashback]

_Mrs. Kagami wasn’t sure what was going on, but she had noticed a difference in her son’s behaviour since the day he returned from the Fuji camp, and not in an entirely positive way. Normally she and her husband would receive a phone call from their son twice a week, but twice a week quickly became less than once a month. It was not so much that he didn’t call often; Mrs. Kagami was aware of the fact that her son was busy with school and basketball, and put in the time difference it was completely understandable that he didn’t have much time to stay in touch. However, when they did speak, Kagami’s voice was devoid from interest and emotions, and after months of enduring this ignorance, Mrs. Kagami could no longer take it. Call it a mother’s intuition. “I’m going back to Japan,” she told her husband and immediately ordered a ticket._

_It turned out that things were a lot worse than Mrs. Kagami had expected. Kagami’s apartment was in a horrific state, the ever so tidy place now looking like a war zone, clothes and trash all over the floor. While Kagami was in school, not aware that his mother had locked herself in with the extra key, Mrs. Kagami spent five hours of cleaning to turn the place into a decent state. “Mother,” Kagami dropped his back in the doorway as he saw his mother on her knees, wiping the floor with a cloth. Kagami walked over and kneeled down in front of his mother, bursting out in tears._  
  


_“Son,” Mrs. Kagami embraced her son and caressed his hair. “It’s alright. Mom is here.”_

_As Kagami took a bath, Mrs. Kagami called her husband. “Honey. I’m going to stay in Japan for a while. Don’t worry. Everything’s fine. I’ll take care of it.”_

_-_

_“Kagami, wake up. Wake up, son,” his mother’s soothing voice urged. Kagami covered his eyes with the back of his hand as his mother pulled the curtains away, light filling the dark room, washing out all the shadows._

_“You need to get up,” Mrs. Kagami said. “I made breakfast.”_

_Kagami pouted. “You already stayed here for a month. How long do you intend to stay? What if dad finds a mistress-”_

_“Don’t act all cocky,” his mother burst out and pulled the duvet off the bed with no mercy, exposing Kagami’s half-naked body to the cold air. “Hurry up. We’re having people over soon.”_

_“What?” Kagami argued. “You can’t just invite people over to my apartment!”_

_“And who do you think is paying for this apartment?” his mother screamed right back at him, leaving Kagami with no comeback. ‘Mothers,’ he huffed._

_“So who’s coming over?” Kagami wanted to know._

_“Oh, it’s Ayano,” Mrs. Kagami took a dramatic breath, “and her youngest daughter, Mika. Ayano and I are going to catch up, so how about you take Mika out to have some fun? She’s not used to the city life, so I think she will be quite thrilled. You haven’t seen each other since you were kids.”_

_“Are you setting us up?” Kagami accused his mother._

_“She’s become quite the beauty,” his mother chuckled. “And she’s single, too.”_

_“Yah! That’s not what I asked!” Kagami slapped his own face._

_-_

_“We’ll be going, then,” Kagami said and bowed before his mother and Ayano._

_“Wait a sec, come here,” Mrs. Kagami made her son follow her into the kitchen where they were alone. “Here you go. Buy something nice for dinner for both of you.”_

_Kagami looked suspiciously at the cash in her hand before taking it. “We’re only going for a walk,” Kagami tried to talk his mother out of her nonsense. In the distance, he could hear Ayano’s voice:_

_“Good luck with your date, daughter.”_

_“You said it wasn’t a date,” Kagami hissed at his mother as she pushed him towards the door._

_“Go have fun,” Mrs. Kagami said cheerfully. ‘Only a woman can soothe a man’s troubles.’_

_-_

_“So Mika, where do you want me to take you?” Kagami asked Mika. Although they hadn’t seen each other for many years, their mothers were basically family, so addressing by first name came pretty natural._

_“You play basketball, right? Why don’t you show me the place where you practise?”_

_Kagami smiled at the girl; seemed like she was much more interesting than a pretty face. “Hold on,” Kagami asked her to wait and disappeared only to return on a bicycle. “Get on,” he said. Mika got up on the bicycle and let her arms surround Kagami’s waist._

_As they reached the school, Kagami was surprised to find plenty of bicycles at the entrance of the gym hall. This was quite unusual on a Sunday. Kagami reached his hand out and pushed the heavy door open, the door making a sound of old wood, causing everybody in the room to turn their gaze at him. Kagami immediately found intense dark blue eyes in the crowd._


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

[Flashback continues]

_“What’s going on?” Kagami asked Midorima, who was sitting on the bench closest to the entrance. Midorima pushed his glasses up and glanced at Kagami with a frown._

_“It’s hard to believe that you’re the ace of Seirin, seeing that you’re so ignorant,” Midorima spoke his mind, making Takao next to him chuckle._

_“Don’t be so mean, Midorima” Takao wiped his cheerful tears away._

_“You clearly can’t distinguish between cruelty and honesty, Takao,” Midorima said. “Since you’re been sticking around me for so long, I thought that you had come to your senses by now.”_

_As the two started to argue, Kagami gave up and turned his gaze at the court, watching a navy-haired person floating across the court, making basketball seem like the easiest thing to do. He was facing the three uncrowned kings from Rakuzan._

_“And who are you, if I may ask?” Kagami could suddenly hear Kise’s high-pitched voice next to him._

_“I’m Miyamoto Mika, Kagami’s childhood friend,” Mika introduced herself, cutting off Kise as he was about to reply. “I know who you are, Kise Ryota. You’re so talented.”_

_“Talented?” Kise tried not to sound too complacent. “Well, my techniques are the most unique out of the five.”_

_“What are you talking about?” Mika was confused. “I’m referring to your photoshoot for Vivi.”_

_Takao's stomach was now cramping from laughter. “Vivi? Isn’t that for girls only?”_

_“Ouch, that hurts,” Kise felt his manhood vanish._

_“Who are you to complain!” Okamura groaned, sad tears running down his face. “At least you get to meet girls with that side job of yours!”_

_“Is anybody going to tell me what the hell is going on?” Kagami was growing impatient. Murasakibara looked up at him with mouth full of crisps._

_“Aka-chin challenged Mine-chin,” Murasakibara mumbled lazily while stuffing his mouth with more crisps. “Aka-chin believes that Hayama, Mibuchi and Nebuya can take down Mine-chin.”_

_“A 3-on-1?” Kagami was surprised._

_“Yeah,” Murasakibara nodded as Aomine made his formless shot from an angle that seemed almost impossible. “But it seems like Aka-chin wasn’t absolute this time. Mine-chin’s going to win.”_

_“And why are all of you gathered here?” Kagami asked._

_“Well, then Mido-chin kinda challenged me, and then Kise-“_

_“No! I’m asking: why are you here at Seirin High? Who let you in?” Kagami was curious since he couldn’t find any Seirin members in the crowd. The school was quite strict about letting students in on Sundays._

_“Well,” Murasakibara pointed._

_“Woah!” Kagami dreadfully jumped back with one hand covering his mouth. “Who broke the window?!”_

_-_

_Aomine lifted an eyebrow in surprise as he came out from the showers, not expecting to find Kagami leaning against the wall with arms crossed. How long had he been waiting? “What do you want?” Aomine asked while tightening the towel around his waist, water dripping from his hair as he walked to the lockers._

_Kagami stayed on the same spot, eyes following Aomine’s movements, silently observing as Aomine ran his hands through the wet hair before rubbing cream on his face in front of the small mirror hanging right above the tap. It was somehow weird to see Aomine here, in a room that Kagami visited almost daily. “I’m sorry,” Kagami finally manned up to talk. He needed to say it now. He needed closure._

_Aomine turned to look at Kagami with stern eyes. “Why are you being sorry?”_

_“At the camp, the terrible things I’ve done to you, it- it’s unforgivable,” Kagami stuttered, feeling overwhelmed as he tried to express himself. This was a lot harder than he had expected; for months he had tried to figure out how to come up with a proper apology, but no matter how he had tried to phrase it or how long he had waited, nothing could undo his inhuman actions._

_“Shut up,” Aomine scowled._

_“Aomine, please listen-“_

_“I said shut up!” Aomine’s desperate voice echoed through the empty room, causing an illusion of vibrating walls, immediately silencing Kagami. “Shut up,” he then whispered and turned his back to Kagami, voice breaking, “just shut up…”_

_Kagami reached out for Aomine, his fingers barely touching the other man’s shoulder before Aomine flinched, turning around with the white turning in his eyes. He then laughed sarcastically, sounding no different from an insane person. “Didn’t I warn you last time not to feel sorry for me?” he roared, a fist coming towards Kagami, hitting him right in the core._

_Kagami winced as the punch paralyzed his body, knees wanting to collapse beneath him, but he managed to stay up, inhaling deeply, trying to take his focus off the pain. When he was slowly starting to recover, the edge of the worst pain gone, Kagami straightened his body, standing tall again. “Hit me again,” he said, no mocking in his voice._

_“You-“ this time Aomine aimed at Kagami’s chest, but Kagami kept his feet steady to the ground._

_“Harder, hit me harder,” Kagami urged with a hoarse voice, wanting the other man to vent his anger on him. He stumbled back against the lockers, cold metal against his back as Aomine suddenly grabbed his collar._

_“Why don’t you hit me back,” Aomine’s eyes were glassy, tears only making their way to the corners of his eyes, suppressed by his pride. “Why the hell are you not defending yourself?”_

_“Because I care for you,” Kagami said without thinking. Before he realized what he had been saying, Aomine’s face was right in front of his, lips pressing against his. It was a quick and forceful kiss, the backside of Kagami’s head bumping against the lockers; before Kagami could react, Aomine stepped back, frustration in his features, as if he hadn’t seen it coming itself._

_“How come we always fight whenever we meet?” Kagami wanted to know, a mix of grief and gentleness in the way he spoke. Aomine growled and made a turn, only to be dragged back by the wrist. He looked at Kagami with questionable eyes._

_“Don’t leave,” Kagami begged. “Please.”_

_-_

_Mika glanced at her watch. Kagami had been gone for some time now. “Kise, do you know where Taiga went?”_

_Kise took his eyes away from the court. “Kagamicchi?”_

_“I saw him head towards the locker room,” Kuroko said, causing Mika to fall off the bench in horror._

_“Since when did you appear?” Mika said with hands covering her face._

_“I’ve been here the whole time,” Kuroko said and got up. “I’ll go fetch him for you.”_

_-_

_Kuroko didn’t see anybody as he entered the locker room. “Anybody in there?” Kuroko couldn't be bothered to walk into the showers, not wanting to wet his shoes. There was no sound of running water, indicating that the room was empty. “Hmm… somebody forgot to turn off the lights,” Kuroko muttered and turned off the switch before leaving._

_With his head resting against Aomine’s bare chest, Kagami couldn’t help but notice the rapid heartbeats of the other man as they sat completely still, waiting for Kuroko to leave. The wet tiles were cold against Kagami’s knees as he was kneeling before Aomine, the other man’s back solidly resting against the wall, but Kagami could only feel the heat spreading inside of his body. Aomine gazed at him with slightly parted lips, eyes dazed, waiting. When Kagami heard the sound of the door shutting, he leaned in to close the gap between them, sloppy and lazy kisses, their tongues moving slowly back and forth in the darkness. “I might not be able to hold back,” Kagami breathed into Aomine’s neck, his hand finding its way up beneath Aomine’s towel, pushing it aside._

_Aomine didn’t say anything, biting his lips as Kagami grabbed his already hard member. He bit his teeth together not to make a sound as Kagami leaned down and gave it a playful lick. “You’re so silent,” Kagami said with a husky voice. “You don’t like it?”_

_“Shut up,” Aomine was all flushed. “Ah, Kagami,” he shouted in protest as Kagami let his tongue swirl teasingly around the head of the cock where it was most sensitive._

_“That’s more like it,” Kagami said._

_“Can’t you just shut up!” Aomine made an attempt to kick him off. “Your talking is a total turn-off-“_

_Aomine’s head tilted back against the wall in pleasure, body shuddering as Kagami all of a sudden swallowed his entire cock, the tip almost hitting the back of Kagami’s throat. The sensation was too great that it became painfully uncomfortable as Kagami tightened his lips around the shaft. Aomine was panting hardly as he tried to push Kagami’s head away for some relief. With his free hand, Kagami grabbed Aomine’s wrist and pushed it against the wall. This activated the showerhead, ice cold water pouring down on them as Kagami continued effortlessly._

_“I’m about to come,” Aomine warned as the water stopped, gasping in surprise as Kagami suddenly let go of his member just when the pressure was at its highest. Kagami got up on his feet, water dripping from hair and clothes as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand._

_“Next time, you come find me,” Kagami said and walked off, leaving Aomine in disbelief._

_“You can’t be serious!” Kagami could hear the other man grunt behind him._

_As Kagami came out in the main hall, he was shocked to find the place devoid from people, only the balls left on the ground. “You!” he suddenly felt chills running down his spine as he recognized the school caretaker’s voice right behind him. Without glancing back, Kagami immediately ran towards the entrance, gasping as he suddenly slipped on his wet shoes, each inch of his tall body colliding with the floor._


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Kagami sipped occasionally from a cup of steamy green tea as he listened to his mom and Ayano going on about their youth. “Mom, too much info,” he interrupted with a stuffy voice as she started to talk about her conquest of love, how she went through a great hell to woo his dad.

“Your dad was the most handsome young man in town,” Ayano exclaimed excitedly. “All the girls in the neighbourhood had a great eye to him, but in the end only one woman could claim his heart.”

“There’s no such thing as being the most handsome man in town,” Kagami exclaimed sceptically, getting tired of their exaggerations. “It only occurs in movies. Also, dad used to look exactly like me, and I was not constantly surrounded by girls in high school.”

“Well, beauty standards change as time goes by,” his mother shrugged.

Ayano agreed. “Yeah, nowadays my daughters fantasize about men with long hair and earrings. I really don’t get it.”

[Somewhere in town, Kise sneezed.]

“Where are you going?” his mother asked him as Kagami got up from his seat.

“Since I’m unemployed, I might as well head to the gym,” Kagami said. He was in worse shape than he had thought – this he had realized while playing against the tall leather jacket.

“Well,” Ayano also got up and placed a hand on Kagami’s shoulder. “I actually came by for a specific reason, Taiga. Your mom told me about your current situation, so I would like to offer you a temporary job. How about you come and work for me, in the restaurant placed in Tokyo of course?”

 

[Flashback]

_‘Next time you find me,’ Kagami had said confidently, but after two weeks without hearing from the other man, Kagami slowly started to get paranoid. ‘Well, he’s probably not ignoring you. After all, you haven’t showed up to any practice games,’ Kagami reasoned with himself, being banned from all club activities for a month due to trespassing. How in the world did Aomine manage to leave the school in time, being butt naked and all?_

_“Do you by chance have Aomine’s number?” Kagami asked Kuroko when the school bells called for a break, saving them from the boring math teacher._

_“Yes,” Kuroko tilted his head. “Why?”_

_Kagami cleared his throat and tried to discretely ignore Kuroko’s question by asking another one. “Well, can I have it?”_

_Kagami went out in the schoolyard, the sun high on the sky as he found an empty bench to sit on. He stared at the number on the screen of his phone and then clicked on the ‘call’ button after some minutes of thoughts. He subconsciously held his breath as he waited for the line to go through, feeling the time taking forever as he pressed the phone against his ear._

_“Hello, Aomine talking. Who is it?”_

_Kagami moved his lips, trying to respond, but no words would leave his lips. When Aomine repeated himself, Kagami suddenly panicked and hanged up the phone. ‘You’re such a loser,’ he told himself, almost getting a heart attack as the phone was vibrating, Aomine’s number showing on the screen._

_“Bakagami, why are you calling me and then hanging up?” Aomine shouted into the phone._

_“How did you know it was me?” Kagami was surprised._

_Aomine paused for a while, his voice more calm this time as he spoke. “Doesn’t matter. What do you want?”_

_“What are you up to?” Kagami couldn’t find anything better to say._

_“Skipping school. Wanna hang out?” the question making Kagami’s heart skip a beat._

_“When?” Kagami tried._

_“Now?” Aomine suggested casually. It wasn’t a good idea to skip school. In fact it was a really bad idea, seeing that Kagami was already in the administration’s spotlight after the gym incident, but once again Aomine made Kagami lose all rationality._

_“Send me the address,” Kagami agreed to meet._

_-_

_As Kagami approached the coffee shop, he could see Aomine through the window, his chin resting in his palm, eyes bored of waiting. He looked up as Kagami sat down before him. “Did you wait long?” Kagami asked._

_Aomine straightened his upper body from the relaxed position and smirked. “Not at all. I hope you like ice latte, I already ordered.”_

_“I don’t mind,” Kagami shrugged._

_Aomine narrowed his eyes and raised a brow. “I haven’t seen you around? Seirin is quite mediocre without you.”_

_Kagami tried to suppress his happiness, glad that the other man had noticed his lack of presence. He told Aomine what had happened after they had parted from the locker-room, making Aomine chuckle. “Serves you right.”_

_“What? It’s not fair that I take the blame for what you guys did,” Kagami growled. Aomine leaned closer, their foreheads almost touching._

_“For what you did to me, you clearly deserved it,” he said with a low and deep voice, sounding so unbelievably sexy that Kagami felt his cheeks flush. Just as Kagami was about to respond, Aomine leaned back in his seat and laughed out._

_“Your face, priceless,” he sounded like a silly child. It was nice to see Aomine cheerful, something Kagami wasn’t entirely used to. In the same instant the coffee girl came to their table with drinks, a petite girl with giant boobs. As she bent forward to place the mugs on the table, Kagami couldn’t help but notice how Aomine’s attention was directed at her chest. His eyes even lingered at her back as she walked off, stirring things up in Kagami. What the hell did Aomine want? One second he’s flirting and the next one he’s all heterosexual? Kagami really didn’t have time for this. For too long he had been thinking about the other man, but it had to end now before he got himself hurt. ‘Might as well just finish this coffee and get going.’_

_“Hey,” Aomine said and patted Kagami on the shoulder, pulling him out of his stream of negative thoughts. “I live not too far from here. Wanna come to my place and watch some TV?”_

_And once again, Aomine made Kagami work against his own will. “Sure.”_

_-_

_And just like Aomine said, he only lived five minutes of walk away. They didn’t talk on the way, Aomine always a few steps ahead, as if he was in a rush._

_Aomine turned the key and pushed the door open. Kagami removed his shoes and entered the apartment, looking around. “It’s a nice apart-“_

_He suddenly felt the air leave his body for a second as he was pushed against the wall in the entrance. “Enough talk, let’s fuck,” Aomine said while yanking Kagami’s jacket off him, throwing it on the floor._

_“Wait-“ Kagami protested as Aomine dragged him through the living room and into the bedroom. Aomine pushed him down on the king sized bed and immediately straddled him._

_“I haven’t been thinking about anything else since then,” Aomine’s voice was passionate as he leaned down to run his tongue up and down Kagami’s neck, his fingers desperately trying to unzip Kagami’s blazer._

_“Hold on,” Kagami tried not to lose his mind as he felt their dicks bump through the pants. It was arousing to see Aomine so needy; the other times it had been Kagami who had initiated it._

_“What, don’t tell me you actually believed that we were going to watch TV?” Aomine snorted, fingers now trying to remove his own necktie, feeling that his school uniform was going to strangle him anytime if not removed instantly. With Aomine’s lack of focus, Kagami took the chance to flip their positions around, him now hovering over Aomine._

_Aomine forgot to remove his tie as he let Kagami push him down the pillows, a wet and needy kiss shared between them as Kagami’s hand went up beneath Aomine’s shirt, caressing his abdomen, feeling the muscles. “Take it easy,” Kagami groaned as Aomine unbuckled Kagami’s pants and let his hands slide down beneath the briefers._

_“Come on, remove your pants,” Aomine was desperate._

_“So bossy,” Kagami hissed, getting off Aomine to remove his clothes. When he was done undressing himself, Aomine was already naked, waiting for him on the edge of the bed._

_“Come here,” Aomine summoned him, a hand reaching out to stop Kagami from getting on the bed. “Stay up.”_

_Kagami’s frown disappeared as Aomine leaned in and kissed Kagami’s cock, his hand travelling down to grab around the balls. Kagami tried to stand still, but his knees were getting soft as Aomine slowly let his tongue caress the underside of Kagami’s cock. Aomine looked damn sexy as he slowly let the head of the cock into the mouth, swirling his tongue around it as if it was candy while his free hand was touching himself. Kagami grabbed Aomine’s short hair; never had he felt a better blowjob; one of the great things about doing it with a man; they knew how it worked. However, as Aomine tried to push the cock deeper into his mouth, it was clear as the sun that he had never been with another man before. Kagami barely stopped himself from whimpering as Aomine’s teeth lightly scratched the cock for each time he tried to swallow deeper, the first few times not that painful, but after a few minutes Kagami could feel parts of his cock burning. Kagami didn’t say anything since he didn’t want to discourage the other man, so instead he gently pushed Aomine’s head away, the sound of a wet cock popping out of Aomine’s mouth as he looked up at Kagami._

_“Your turn,” Kagami said and kneeled down to grab Aomine’s cock. As he started to suck the other man off, Aomine’s eyes rolled back in his head as he let his upper body fall on the bed, moaning as Kagami pleased him._

_-_

_Kagami was staring up at the ceiling as he could hear the sound of water in the bathroom. He was exhausted, his cock sore but nonetheless satisfied. As he was about to drift off, Aomine was hovering over him, all dressed up with gym back across the shoulder. “I’m leaving for practice,” Aomine said carelessly and tossed the keys on the bed. “You can leave after you wash yourself. Just leave the keys beneath the doormat.”_


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

[Flashback continues]

_“Come on, hurry up,” Aomine sounded almost suffocated as he moved his hips forwards in an attempt to thrust his cock further into Kagami’s palm. They were both soaked in sweat, Aomine lying on top of Kagami, both of them stripped down to only tank tops as they were paying attention to each other’s members. Aomine’s bedroom was dark, the curtains keeping the daylight away, concealing their sins to the entire world. When both of them had reached their climax, Kagami didn’t linger in the sheets, immediately reaching out for his clothes that were piled on the floor. “I’ll see you again soon?” Aomine’s question uncomfortably hanging in the air as Kagami was set to leave._

_Kagami stopped in the doorway and held his breath for a second, not turning his head, well-knowing that the other man was lying naked on the bed. “Yeah,” he replied carelessly before walking off. Each time Kagami left this place, he felt a hollow emptiness inside, but somehow he still kept finding his way back to Aomine’s bed whenever the other man saw fit. Their thing had been going on for almost three months; always Aomine calling or texting, either right after school or late at night, didn’t matter, Kagami would always show up like an obedient dog. Fuck buddies. That’s all they were. Kagami felt disgusted and ashamed. ‘Why can’t I just leave him alone?’_

_-_

_“Kagami,” Teppei hiccupped, his vision blurred from alcohol as he waved his hand in front of Kagami’s face. “How come you’re here, but it feels like you’re not really here, hm?”_

_“Must be your imagination playing games with you,” Kagami said and glanced at his watch. “Also, it’s getting pretty late.”_

_“Those losers couldn’t make it past midnight,” Teppei referred to the other Seirin members who left several hours ago, just as Teppei’s drunkenness was starting to become a real pain in the ass. “I’m happy that I can always count on you, Kagami.”_

_“You owe me big time, Kiyoshi,” Kagami sent Teppei a faint smile. Today was supposed to be fun, but unfortunately it turned out much different than Kagami had expected. In short, things were great until Hyuga challenged Teppei into giving the love of his life a phone call, which eventually led to a massive rejection from Momoi Satsuki and a devastated Teppei._

_“Kagami,” Teppei placed a hand on Kagami’s shoulder, his voice getting sentimental. “One day in the future when you least expects it, I’m returning the favour.”_

_“In the future?” Kagami rolled his eyes and tried to sound critical. “Right, right. Let’s get you home.”_

_“I can walk home by myself,” Teppei pouted and almost fell down from his seat, Kagami’s hand shooting forward to save him from scratches and humiliation. “I’m a grown-up man,” Teppei tugged at Kagami’s shirt._

_“A grown-up man knows when he has reached his drinking limit,” Kagami sighed_

_When Teppei was lying safe and sound in his bed with a blanket tugged up to his chin, Kagami walked to the closest train stop. Tonight Aomine was also out with his team members, celebrating Imayoshi’s birthday. Kagami glanced at his watch for the hundredth time that night. 4am, and Aomine hadn’t texted. They were supposed to meet up when Imayoshi’s birthday ended. Kagami pulled his phone out from his pocket and dialled Aomine’s number. The number was currently out of service. ‘His phone probably died,’ Kagami thought. ‘I’ll just go to his place and wait for him.’_

_Kagami knocked on the door. When nobody answered, he bent down to take the extra key beneath the doormat. Aomine normally left it there so that Kagami could lock himself in on those days when he finished school before Aomine. Kagami froze as he realized that there was no key beneath the doormat._

_That night Kagami was unable to sleep, his body restless, his head spinning from overthinking. Was Aomine fed up with him? No, Aomine had sounded perfectly normal the last time they were together. Also, it was Aomine who had suggested that they should hook up tonight._

_-_

_“You look terrible,” Mrs. Kagami sent her son a horrified look as Kagami walked downstairs the next morning, dark shadows beneath his eyes. “I told you not to overdo it with the drinking.”_

_“Yeah,” it was easier to agree with her rather than having to explain the real reason why he was drained from energy. “I’m skipping breakfast. I’m heading to a game.”_

_“Oh?” his mother was surprised. “I thought you had this weekend off.”_

_“It’s not my game. I’m going to watch Touou’s game.”_

_“Oh, is that so? Say hello to Sakurai Ryo from me. I know his mother.”_

_“Okay,” Kagami dismissed himself._

_-_

_Kagami had to find out exactly where he and Aomine stood, where their twisted relationship was heading. He was fed up with Aomine’s silent mindfuck; if Kagami wanted all this drama he would just have picked a girl from the start. They were not in that kind of relationship, he was aware of that, but if Aomine made plans with him he had better keep them._

_“Kagami Taiga, I’m surprised to see you,” Aomine smirked as Kagami approached him. Aomine was sitting on the bench meanwhile his team members were running about on the court._

_Kagami felt a heavy stone drop from his chest. Aomine sounded like his usual self. “Why are you on the bench?” Kagami took a seat next to the other man._

_“It doesn’t seem like I’m required,” Aomine yawned, the scoreboard showing that Touou was having the upper hand of the game. “Had I known this, I would have stayed in my bed.”_

_‘Where were you last night,’ Kagami wanted to ask, but he wasn’t in a position to ask the other. He needed to phrase it differently without sounding like a obsessed girlfriend. “I went to your place last night,” Kagami muttered, Aomine’s eyes shifting from the court over to Kagami. Kagami bet that he saw something weird in Aomine’s eyes, a hint of worry that immediately disappeared, replaced by a smile._

_“Oh, it ended later than I expected, so I figured that you already went to sleep,” Aomine looked back to the court, his hand scratching the back of his ear._

_Luckily, just as Kagami was about to overstep his bounderies, Momoi appeared. “Dai-chan,” she sounded furious. Until yesterday Kagami couldn’t imagine the always friendly Momoi being angry; but right now he could kind of understand what Teppei was going through over the phone, Momoi basically shouting at him not to play drunk pranks on her._

_“Why are you angry this early in the morning?” Aomine raised a brow. “The sun is shini-“_

_Kagami covered his face in shock as the sound of Momoi’s hand against Aomine’s cheek echoed through the room. Momoi was so frustrated that her breathing became irregular. “Dai-chan, what you did last night was unacceptable. What you do at night is none of my business, but when you mess with my friend it hella’ becomes my business! How could you do it to Nana-chan, kicking her out when you’ve had your fun with her? That’s so low of you!”_

_-_

_“Kagami! Kagami, wait!” Kagami only reached the sheds outside the school when Aomine grabbed his arm, forcing him to stop in his tracks. “Kagami, I’m sorry. It’s not like you think.”_

_Kagami could hear the regret in Aomine’s voice, the type only guilty people could voice. He didn’t want to listen to Aomine’s bad excuses. He had heard enough. He was done with this shit._

_“Say something,” Aomine said, trying to capture Kagami’s eyes, but Kagami just stared ahead of him with empty eyes, as if Aomine was non-existent. “Nothing happened…”_

_Kagami shrugged out of Aomine’s grasp and started to walk off. “Fine,” Aomine groaned. “I fucked her. Is that what you want to hear? I fuck-”_

_In a split of a second, Kagami was right in front of him, pushing him against the wall of the shed. “You can hit me,” Aomine mocked, trying to sound cocky, but his bottom lip was trembling._

_“Why did you do it?” Kagami’s voice was calm, controlled and furious. “And don’t you dare bullshit me.”_

_“Ha,” Aomine tried to laugh it off while turning his head to the side, a thing he always did when he felt uncomfortable. Kagami grabbed the other man’s chin and forced Aomine to look at him, vulnerability in Aomine’s eyes. ‘Aomine Daiki, this might be the last time I’ll ever listen to you, so choose your words carefully…’_

_“I-“ Aomine tried to look away again, but Kagami yanked his face back in the same position._

_“Look at me while you speak,” Kagami was losing his patience._

_“We- since we’ve been fooling around I was afraid that my body wouldn’t react to girls anymore… I just wanted to confirm it… nothing happened Kagami… you have to believe me… I couldn’t even get it up-“_

_“Damn you,” Kagami stepped back while covering his eyes, all kinds of mixed feeling eating him up. He wanted to cry, but his eyes were dry. “You-“_

_“Forgive me,” Aomine sounded nothing like himself as he begged. “I’ll do anything, as long as you’re not angry with me.”_

_He gasped in surprise as Kagami grabbed his hand and pulled him into the shed, away from the daylight. The room was filled with chairs, a few tables, balls and other equipment. “You’ll do anything?” Kagami’s voice was cold as he let go of Aomine’s hand. “Then take off your pants and turn around.”_

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Due to final exams within the next 3 weeks I won't update as often as I usually do. :)


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Instead of preparing for my exam for tomorrow I ended up writing this. xD  
> WARNING! Fluff.

[Flashback]

_There was an uncomfortably intense silence between them as Kagami waited for a response. Aomine was being his unreadable self, his face not showing any sign of emotions. “No?” Kagami scoffed and stepped away from the door so that the other man could leave. “I thought so.”_

_“Has somebody ever told that you that you’re being childishly impatient?” Aomine raised a brow, faking a disappointed voice. Kagami opened his mouth in protest but words never left his mouth as he watched Aomine unexpectedly crossing his arms, slowly tugging the uniform up above his head, revealing the athletic chest that had been hidden there all along. Kagami felt the heat rise in his own cheeks as Aomine turned around, fingers lightly grazing the band of his shorts before pulling them off completely, one foot stepping out at a time, now only standing in his underwear and shoes. Kagami tried to comprehend the situation, but nothing really made sense, his anger almost vanished._

_“What do you want to do to me?” Aomine asked, his back still turned against Kagami as he had been told. “Don't tell me that you’re getting cold feet?”_

_Aomine was about to continue with his provocations, but his words were cut off as he could feel the other man’s body pressed against his, wet lips suddenly nipping at his neck, gently caressing the sun kissed skin, causing Aomine’s knees to grow numb. There was a tickling sensation as Kagami’s hand teasingly fondled his chest – until today Aomine wasn’t aware that these parts of his body could feel like this. By the time Kagami’s hand had found its way down to Aomine’s cock, letting his hand slide on top of the thin fabric, Aomine was already leaping. “Mmh…” Aomine bit his lips, having a hard time staying up as Kagami’s touches became more vivid. Aomine turned his head to glance at Kagami, his neck straining as Kagami leaned in and kissed him fiercely, their lips moving so desperately that it felt like it had been forever since they had hooked up. Aomine tried to catch his breath as he broke free from the kiss. “Let me do you,” he offered, indicating that he was willing to suck the other man off. As he tried to turn his body around, Kagami’s hands suddenly grabbed him by the hips, keeping him steady. “Kagami?” Aomine was puzzled – it was probably the first time Kagami had said no to this request._

_“Let me do you,” Kagami’s voice was barely a whisper, sounding so gentle that Aomine became speechless. Although it was obvious what Kagami had meant, Aomine didn’t really realize it before he could feel two strong hands on his butt, a finger probing at the opening._

_“Kagami!” All the alarms inside Aomine’s head started to blink, panic taking over as he tipped forward, arms falling on the surface of a dusty table._

_“Relax,” Kagami hushed – although he could not see the other’s face, he could sense that Aomine was blushing. “I’ll be gentle this time, I promise.”_

_Kagami saw how the other man’s shoulders tensed in anxiety as he let him pull his underwear down to the ankles. Kagami touched his own cock, it was rock hard, excited about the things that would soon follow. Since the incident in the camp they had not had this kind of sex. Kagami had more than once tried to hint about doing it, but each time his hand would get close to the other man’s bottom, Aomine would somehow figure out a way to get out of the situation. Either he had to pause to go to the bathroom or because he wanted to switch position. Once he even came up with the bad excuse of being hungry. Hungry while having sex? It was most unlikely. Well, it was fully understandable since his first experience had left the always strong and mighty Aomine in tears. Now Kagami just had to show him that this way of doing it could also bring him pleasure._

_Aomine was being awfully silent as Kagami started to probe at his opening, not sticking it in, just teasing it, waiting for the other man to relax. “How does it feel?” Kagami felt like an old pervert, but he had to make sure that he was not hurting the other man._

_Aomine’s voice sounded strained as he spoke; it sounded like he had held his breath ever since Kagami had started to play with his ass. “How am I supposed to feel? I’m not a girl,” he sounded a little annoyed._

_“You’re not a girl, yeah,” Aomine leaned down and kissed Aomine’s hair. “But I’ll still make you feel good.”_

_Aomine was not convinced. “Right,” he sneered. “Wha- what are you doing?” his voice panicking yet again as he felt a warm and wet consistence against his entrance, hands resting at his inner thighs to hold him still. “Ah, Kagami…” Aomine’s head dropped down to the table, trying to abstract from the weird tingle that was sent through his body as Kagami continued licking him in that shameful area. His cock that had grown soft since Kagami had starting touching him there was slowly starting to get alive again, dripping as Kagami was nipping and sucking his ass._

_“Does it feel good?” Kagami asked, not getting an answer but took it as a yes as Aomine started to make these lewd sounds that he had never heard before. Although he wanted to continue pleasing the other man, Kagami had reached his own limit, his cock begging for attention. Without a warning, he slowly inserted a finger, causing the other man to snap his head up and let a cry escape his throat._

_“Does it hurt?” Kagami asked after a while, his finger now easily going forth and back into the tight heat._

_“No…” Aomine confirmed in embarrassment._

_“Good,” Kagami smiled and inserted another finger, making Aomine groan, a mix of pain and pleasure._

_“It feels weird,” Aomine’s voice trailed off. “… feels weird…”_

_-_

_“Hng…” Aomine gritted his teeth together, eyes closed as Kagami slowly pushed the tip of his cock inside of him. “Wait, you’re going too fast.”_

_“I’ll move slowly,” Kagami assured, but in fact he had lost all his patience, moving his hips forwards while licking the upper corner teeth as he felt his cock slide effortlessly deeper into Aomine. “Mmh, feels so good…”_

_“Ha…” Aomine completely forgot that they were at a public place, moaning as Kagami started to move in a steady rhythm, the table shaking beneath Aomine’s chest as he started to feel a pleasure that he had never encountered before. “Feels so good…” his voice coming out all whiny, which made Kagami feel like his cock had grown a few inches._

_“You like it,” Kagami panted and sped up, the sound of balls against butt cheeks filling out the room._

_“… I like it,” Aomine let all his guards down, all embarrassment forgotten, giving in to the pure pleasure. “I like it…”_

_Aomine gasped in surprise as he could feel the other man pull out of him, leaving his body with an odd sensation. Before he could react, Kagami turned him around. “I want to see your face,” he said and lifted Aomine up on the table. Aomine held his breath as Kagami positioned his cock at the entrance again. Aomine had never had a problem with showing his body to people, but for some reason this situation suddenly made him feel very exposed and self-conscious. “I’m going in again,” Kagami was digging his nails into Aomine’s hips as he let the cock slip in between Aomine’s slippery buttocks. Aomine’s head automatically fell back, but before it collided with the wall, Kagami’s hand was there to support the backside of his head, pulling him into a heated kiss. The kiss was awkward and hard to sustain due to Kagami’s heavy thrusting, but for both of them this was the first time that the kiss had felt sincere._

_-_

_“Bastard! I am going to kill you!” Aomine was in a furious mood as they left the shed._

_“I’m sorry,” Kagami felt like he had apologized for a thousandth time during the last five minutes. “I did not do it on purpose.”_

_“Yeah right,” Aomine raised a fist and sent Kagami an evil glare. [Author’s comment: You all probably know what happened.]_

_“Let’s go home to your place,” Kagami suggested cheerfully, skin glowing._

_Aomine huffed and turned around, not wanting to let Kagami see his heated cheeks. “I’ll go fetch my bag.”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for all the dirty talk. Even I myself find it cheesy, but when I imagine it being said in Japanese I guess I really do like it. xD


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

When Kagami showed up at the restaurant, he was mind blown when realizing how large the place was. The location was in the far opposite end of town, so he had never found the time to visit the place. The furnishing and arrangement looked similar to the sister restaurant located in his hometown, but a lot had happened to the brand since he was a kid, the place having a more professional touch. _Ayano had surely done a great job_ , Kagami acknowledged as he observed trendy youngsters and formal dressed businessmen filling out the entire room, enjoying their meal. A worker wearing a white shirt and a black apron around his waist came straight towards Kagami with a customer friendly smile. “Welcome, sir, a table for how many?”

Kagami bent before the man who was a few years older than he. “My name is Kagami Taiga, I’m here for-“

“Oh, you’re the new guy,” the other said cheerfully. “My name is Akiyama Ryu, pleased to meet you. Please follow me.”

Kagami had expected to become a part of the kitchen staff, but to his surprise he was handed a butler looking outfit and was told to get dressed immediately. “What? Me, a bartender? I really don’t know how to pour drinks.”

“Don’t worry,” Akiyama assured him. “It’s still early, so people won’t be using the bar yet. Takao will help you get a hang of it on the first couple of shifts until you can do it with a blindfold.”

“If you say so,” Kagami smiled and headed to the dressing room to change. The butterfly felt uncomfortable around his neck and the vest was perhaps too tiny for his building.

“It’s not small, you’re just not used to wearing it,” Akiyama approved as Kagami stepped out from the dressing room. “You look like a changed person. Please duck your head a little.”

Kagami bent his head as Akiyama massaged wax into his hair and tried to force his hair back and away from the face. “You’re going to be so popular with the ladies,” Akiyama praised him. “It’s a shame that you let those locks cover your handsome face.”

“Uh, thanks,” Kagami was getting a little flushed from the older man’s comments, his hand about to scratch the back of his hair, stopping when he felt the waxy consistence.

Although Kagami had been told that a Takao guy would train him, he was not expecting this person to be no other than Takao Kazunari. “Oh, Kagami?” Takao was being his quirky self behind the bar counter as Kagami appeared in front of him. Takao was wearing a similar outfit to Kagami’s; however he looked more natural since he wasn’t as tall and muscular.

“Takao, you work here?” Kagami walked around the counter to get behind it.

“I only help out now and then,” Takao explained. “After all, my mother in law is Ayano.”

“You’re dating Mika?” Kagami asked.

“Nah, her sister, Miku,” Takao replied.

“Is that so? Why weren’t you at her place last Christmas?” Kagami asked – he normally celebrated Christmas together with Ayano’s family when his parents were in the States.

“We’re a recent item,” Takao’s smiling face suddenly turned more serious. “I saw the news. I’m sorry, that Mori guy is nothing but trouble.”

“Yeah,” Kagami shrugged, not really feeling like talking about it, so he tried to switch the topic. “So, you’re going to show me how things work around here?”

“Who would have thought that I would ever get to train the Kagami Taiga,” Takao joked and held up his phone. “Please smile.”

“What?” Kagami didn’t have time to react before the picture was taken.

Takao hummed cheerfully. “I wonder how Midorima will react when I send him this.”

“Wait-“ too late, Takao pressed the send button, triggering a heavy sigh from Kagami. _I’m envious that they still keep in touch. I have cut almost all ties with the people back from high school…_

-

“Am I doing this right?” Kagami felt insecure as he topped the glass with a few drops of grenadine, fascinated as the yellow drink instantly turned blood red.

“There’s no way to find out without trying it,” Takao pushed the glass towards Kagami, indicating that he should give it a taste. “This is trial or error.”

“Are you sure that it will be alright drinking while working?” Kagami asked.

“It’s a tradition for all first timers,” there was a sudden evil feeling to Takao’s voice. Kagami grabbed the glass and sipped from it. Takao clapped his thigh, laughing out loud as he watched Kagami make an ugly grimace.

“Sour,” Kagami exhaled, trying not to spit the drink out.

“Try all over again,” Takao suggested and took the glass away from Kagami, pouring it down in the sink. Kagami was relieved that he wasn’t forced to drink it all. However, after many sips from various cocktails he could feel the alcohol getting to him. It became even worse around 11pm when people started to flow into the bar, everybody buying drinks to him after hearing that it was his first shift.

“You’re going to drink this for me when they’re not looking,” Kagami told Takao with flushed cheeks while pouring a drink.

“No, it’s not my first shift, so I’m not allowed to drink,” Takao said. “Also, it’s rude for you not to drink it now that those cute girls have bought it especially for you.”

Kagami suddenly understood why this guy had been able to stick by Midorima’s side all these years; he was an evil mind fucker himself, only disguised as an angel. “Fine,” Takao said with a determined voice as he noticed how wasted the other man had become. “You can go home and rest. I’ll close in one hour, so I’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”

“Are you sure?” Kagami asked; he felt like he was seeing double. His body could no longer keep up with his younger days; luckily bartender shifts always started pretty late, so he could sleep it off.

“Yes, yes, just go home,” Takao said and handed him his jacket and a bag with the clothes that he wore earlier that day.

“Well, then, see you tomorrow.”

As Kagami came outside, a girl was leaning against the wall next to the entrance. She pushed herself off the wall as she saw him. He couldn’t remember her name, but she had bought him several drinks earlier that night. “Kagami, are you off for tonight?”

“Ah, yes,” Kagami smiled lazily, his face going numb from the alcohol. “Thank you for-“

He almost tripped over his own feet, but the girl managed to grab his arm just in time, helping him to gain foothold, her arms not letting go of his. “Are you alright?” she asked worriedly.

“Y-yeah, thank you, I’m fine,” he tried to loosen himself from her grasp, but it didn’t work, the strength in his body completely gone. “I just need to get to the metro.”

“I’ll follow you there,” the girl decided without hearing his opinion.

“You really don’t have to,” Kagami was so exhausted that he could die, nausea starting to take over his system.

“It’s no trouble, I’m heading there myself,” the girl insisted on following him to the station. Kagami looked at the girl and smiled.

“Okay, thank you then,” he muttered gently, making the girl flush all over her face. _She’s cute_ , Kagami thought. _Life would be so simple if I could just be with a nice girl like her._

“Say, Kagami, do you have a girlfriend?” the girl asked all of a sudden.

“No, I don’t,” Kagami replied honestly without thinking.

“So it’s okay for me to like you?” the girl asked. Her question made both of them stop in their tracks.

“I’m sorry…” Kagami looked ahead of him, feeling the uncomfortable gaze of the girl on him. “I can’t accept your feelings.”

“Why? You just said there was nobody else. Am I not pretty enough?”

“It’s not like that-“

“So there is somebody else after all?” the girl sounded hurt. “Of course a guy like you would already have someone.”

Kagami finally manned up and looked at her. “I just don’t swing that way.”

There was an awkward silence in the air as the girl tried to comprehend his words. “No way! You’re a-“ she managed to stop her own words, disappointment visible in her features.

When the girl left him, Kagami suddenly burst out in a stained laughter. _This is the first time I ever admitted it out loud. Now when it’s all too late._


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

“You look better than expected,” Takao grinned when Kagami showed up at work with a refreshed face.

“Yeah,” Kagami smiled and removed his jacket, hanging it on the hook behind the counter. “This morning was kind of tough, though,” he admitted.

“I could imagine,” Takao was in the middle of polishing glasses straight out from the dishwasher. The bar felt very empty with only the two of them in there – it was hard to imagine that this place had been all hectic and overcrowded only a few hours ago.

“So what should I do?” Kagami was ready to get his hands down and dirty.

“Could you wipe off the tables and chairs?”

“Sure.”

Kagami filled a tub with hot water and added a few drops of soap, then pushing his sleeves up and started to clean the chairs. He was a little shocked when loud music suddenly blasted out of the speakers hanging in the upper corners of the room. “Oh, my bad,” Takao apologized and turned down the volume, switching away from the disco music, pleasant lounge music suddenly filling out the entire room. _This is kind of cosy_ , Kagami thought to himself as he went through all the chairs. When he was done with his task he walked up to Takao with the tub. The other was leaning against the counter, a pen in his hand, a piece of paper before him. “What are you doing?” Kagami was curious.

“Oh, Kagami, come help me out, I lost all creativity. We have to decide the drink of the day.”

“Drink of the day?”

“Yeah, each Friday in the time span 9pm-midnight we offer two ‘drinks of the day’ for the price of one. What should we choose? Last week it was white Russian. Kagami, do you have any suggestions?”

“How about a mango martini?” Kagami tried.

“Not today,” Takao shook his head. “Tonight they will air the Japan-Taiwan match, don’t you remember? Sports enthusiasts will be our main customers tonight, primarily guys – mango martini is a too girlish drink for the occasion, don’t you think?”

“But I like mango martini,” Kagami was being blunt, causing Takao to almost drop his jaw.

-

[Flashback]

_“What! No way!” Mrs. Kagami raised a brow as she heard her son raising his voice, disappointment all over his face. This was not the reaction she had expected – wouldn’t kids normally be delighted when their mother who lives far away decides to stay another day? “But why? I thought you were leaving today? Ouch, why did you hit me?”_

_“What’s the difference if I leave today or tomorrow?” she asked. “And it’s not my fault that the earthquake cancelled my flight.”_

_“Yeah, but-“ Kagami let out a heavy sigh. Tonight Aomine was supposed to come over to his place for the first time ever, and now a damn earthquake was about to screw up his long awaited plans._

_“What? What is it?” Mrs. Kagami was being impatient. “Oh, don’t tell me you’re having a girl over.”_

_Kagami started to flush. “N-no! I’m having a friend over. He’s going to help me with my homework.”_

_“So what’s the problem then?” his mother couldn’t see the fuss._

_“We’re staying up late.”_

_“So? You always stay up late anyways, and I sleep sound like a stone, so you being up won’t bother me. When is he coming over?”_

_Kagami glanced at his watch. ‘Should be about now.’ Kagami felt his phone vibrating in his pocket._

_[Your mom hasn’t left. I’m going home.]_

_Kagami quickly ran to the door and outside with his feet bare. In the distant he could see Aomine, only a few blocks away. “Wait!” he soon caught up with the other man, grabbing him by the arm. Aomine gasped in shock and almost dropped his shoulder bag – he had earphones on, so he hadn’t heard anything._

_“Where do you think you’re going,” Kagami huffed, his breath running out._

_“Weren’t you saying that your mom was going back to the States?” Aomine asked, pushing his earphones off his ears. “Why is her car still parking outside?”_

_“There was an earthquake. It got cancelled.”_

_“I’m going home,” Aomine said._

_“No way!” Kagami squeezed Aomine’s hand. “Come, come!”_

_“Wait!” Aomine snarled as he was dragged down the street. “And hey, why are you not wearing any shoes?”_

_-_

  
_“Oh, nice to meet you too,” Mrs. Kagami smiled as she looked down on the bluehead’s scalp as he was bending almost 90 degrees. “You can stand up now, Aomine. Oh, where’s your books?” she asked as she noticed his backpack – it was way too small to contain any books._

_Aomine was a little taken back by the question. “B-book?” he looked at Kagami._

_“Mom, Aomine’s not studying at the same school as I, so we don’t cover the same material in our classes.”_

_“I see,” his mother uttered. “Aomine, thank you so much for helping my good for nothing son out with his studies.”_

_Kagami let out an awkward laugh as he could feel Aomine’s glare. “Mom, we’re heading up to my room.”_

_“Okay, work hard,” Mrs. Kagami called out as they walked up the stairs._

_“What did you tell her?” Aomine snapped as soon as the door closed behind them. “Now she will think that it’s my fault when you fail your exams. Also, I hardly look like the good student, you could at least have made up a better excuse for me coming over.”_

_“Well, partly it is your fault if I’m doing bad at my exams,” Kagami said casually as he sat down on the edge of his bed._

_“And why would that be?” Aomine asked and walked up to Kagami._

_“Because I’m spending way too much time thinking about you,” Kagami smiled and reached out for Aomine’s hand. Just as he was about to grab it, Aomine suddenly raised it to push his own hair back._

_“Nice room, more tidy than I expected. Did your mom clean it?” he yelped as he suddenly fell down on the bed, Kagami suddenly crawling on top of him, holding his hands down above his head._

_“Don’t try to change the topic,” Kagami begged and planted a gentle kiss on the other’s lips._

_“Your mother is down there,” Aomine reminded him with a challenging grin._

_“So?” Kagami asked. Both of them almost got a heart attack when his mother knocked on the door._

_“Guys, I’m coming in with refreshments,” she blinked her eyes in confusion as she found Aomine sitting on the floor and Kagami sitting on the chair in the far opposite corner of the room. “How can you study with that distance kept between you?”_

_“W-well, Aomine’s afraid that I’m cheating if I sit next to the results,” Kagami stuttered._

_-_

_The room was dark. The floor was hard beneath Kagami’s back as he was lying on the floor. He could hear the other man’s breathing from the bed._

_“Are you sleeping?” Kagami asked in a low voice, not wanting to wake up the other if he in fact was sleeping._

_“No,” Aomine replied._

_“This was not how I expected this night to turn out,” Kagami sounded down. They had ended up watching drama with his mother all night. The only positive thing was that it seemed like his mother had taken a liking to Aomine._

_“How did you expect it to turn out?” Aomine asked._

_“Not like this, you up there, me down here.”_

_Kagami could suddenly hear the sound of rustling sheets, and before he knew it Aomine slid up next to him beneath the blanket, pressing their warm upper bodies together. “I’m glad you’re here,” Kagami whispered. Not in his wildest fantasies had he ever imagined Aomine in this room- it still felt quite unrealistic._

_“Thanks for inviting me,” Aomine mumbled._

_“Aomine, can I kiss you?” Kagami pushed himself up on his hand._

_“Stupid, don’t ask,” Aomine tried to sound annoyed, but it didn’t really work out. Kagami smiled before leaning down, their lips grazing before Aomine lifted his head and deepened the kiss, his hand tugging slightly at the front of Kagami’s chest. Their relationship had become quite stable lately, no fights, no mindfucking, no pretending. Kagami had never felt happier in his entire life. Apparently even his mother had noticed, since she had decided to return to his dad's side._

_“I love you,” Kagami whispered into Aomine’s ear. “Love you…”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please check out my new blog that will contain yaoi reviews. :)  
> www.erimori.com


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

Takao’s eyes lit up as he took a sip from the yellow cocktail. Normally he didn’t like sweet drinks, but hands down, this had a surprisingly amazing flavour. “I must give you that, this is yummy,” he told Kagami and took another sip. “This might do it for tonight after all.”

“You don’t remember it? They served it at the training camp the summer before our third year,” Kagami said with a content smile, pleased that Takao had taken a liking to the drink he had suggested.

“I would have remembered if that was the case,” Takao said and picked up his jacket. “Let’s go out and buy some mango before the bar opens.”

-

“Do you think this one is okay?” Takao asked and let his knuckles hit the mango. “Something about the sound, I heard.”

“I don't know if that applies for mangos,” Kagami spoke his mind. They looked like two complete noobs in the greengrocer.

“I heard from Kiyoshi that you’re quite the cooker,” Takao sounded disappointed.

“That doesn’t make me a mango expert,” Kagami argued. In the end they ended up asking the shop owner for guidance.

“Don’t you think this is a little overkill?” Kagami asked on their way back, each of them carrying a wooden box filled to the brim. There was no way they could sell this many drinks.

“Well, since we got a quantity discount, I bought some for myself too,” Takao grinned. “Nice to have you with me to carry stuff. It’s so much easier when there are two of us. Maybe I should ask Ayano to let us have joint shifts in the future also.”

“Well, we do make a great team,” Kagami smiled. It was a funny fact that their personalities were so complementary – they could have been friends long time ago if they hadn’t played on competing teams.

“So what are you doing when you’re not having shifts?” Kagami wanted to know, recalling that Takao was only temporarily involved with the restaurant.

“I’m studying at daytime,” Takao said. “Taking courses so that I can become a kindergarten teacher. My high school grades weren’t that good.”

Kagami cringed his face by the mentioning of school. “Please don’t mention anything about grades. But kindergarten teacher, I think you will make a great one. You’re also so merry and energetic, kids will definitely dig that.”  


“Stop it,” Takao squealed with a cute voice and slapped Kagami’ arm, feeling over flattered. Both of them screamed out in dismay as Kagami dropped the box, the mangos spread out in all directions, some of them rolling out on the street.

“There went your personal share,” Kagami said, covering his eyes with a pained expression as a truck drove straight over a bunch of mangos, the sound of pips crushing.

-

[Flashback]

_The weather was amazingly hot as Seirin arrived at the beach. The first thing they did when stepping out from the overheated bus was to strip down to only shorts, some of them throwing their bodies down in the hot sand to bake in the sun, some of them immediately running out in the water to cool down their sweaty bodies. Kagami was the last person to step out of the bus, yawning. Apparently he had fallen asleep during the drive, and non of his team members had bothered to wake him up at the arrival, each of them rushing to explore the beach. It was perfectly understandable, seeing that they had had no life the past month, exams and matches filling out the schedule._

_Kagami barely made his way out of the bus before an arm suddenly embraced him, a row of white teeth in a tanned face smiling brightly at him as he turned his face to look at his attacker. “Aomine?” Kagami was not expecting Aomine here although he knew that Touou would also join this year’s two-week summer camp. “I thought that you-“_

_“I came to see you, only for today though,” Aomine didn’t let him finish his line. “Did you miss me by chance?”_

_“Of course I do,” Kagami said and grabbed Aomine’s hand, squeezing it discretely before letting go of it, not wanting people around them to see. They hadn’t seen each other for weeks – not only had both of them been extremely busy, but right now was also the most crucial moment for Aomine and his future prospects. The national team had already shown a huge interest in the previous ace of the generation of miracles and the director of the sports foundation had already indirectly dictated Aomine’s career after graduation within professional basketball. Although Aomine’s spot on the national team was already decided more or less, Aomine couldn’t let his guards down. During this time where the spotlight was constantly on him, his face repeatedly appearing on front pages of sports magazines, Aomine had to put all his effort into basketball. Unfortunately, that also meant that they didn’t get to see each other that often._

_“Come, let’s take a walk,” Kagami suggested, and just like that they headed down to the water, which was completely still due to the calm weather. They followed the shore for a while until they reached an area devoid of people._

_“Kagami?”_

_“Yes?” Kagami yelped as cold water was suddenly splashed on him. “You!”_

_Kagami tackled Aomine and managed with a great difficulty to throw him across his shoulder and walked out into the water. “You don’t dare!” Aomine protested while kicking out with arms and legs. “No!”_

_He shivered as Kagami dropped him in the water. “You idiot!” Aomine was shaking all over his body as he quickly got up from the water, teeth clapping, feeling annoyed as Kagami was laughing carelessly behind him. Although the sun was burning, the water hadn’t had proper time to heat up yet. Aomine removed his wet shirt, “I blame you if I’ll get a cold. I don’t have the time to be sick now.”_

_“Don’t worry,” Kagami was now standing right behind him, arms surrounding Aomine’s waist. “I’ll keep you warm.”_

_“Let go,” Aomine snorted and pushed Kagami away, ready to storm off as he was suddenly tugged back by the arm, and before he realized it, he was lying in the sand, Kagami on top of him. “What do you think you’re doing?” Aomine frowned, implying that they were at a public place._

_“Look,” Kagami said and tilted Aomine’s chin. “There’s nobody here.”_

_With those words he tilted his head and leaned in, eyes watching as Aomine slightly parted his lips and let his eyelids drop. “Mmh…” a muffled sound from his lips as the back of Aomine’s head touched the sand, being kissed by the man he loved._

[Flashback to be continued]


	17. Chapter 17

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

[Flashback continued]

_Kagami covered his eyes with his hand to avoid getting blinded from the sun. The heated sand felt unbearable against his back after they had been lying there for some time. “What do you want to do after we graduate if professional basketball is not an option?” Aomine broke the silence._

_Kagami tilted his head and glanced at the man lying next to him. Aomine looked back at him, eyes screwed up, his entire face lit up by the sun. “I don’t know,” Kagami muttered. “You’re lucky that you don’t have to think about all that yet.”_

_“It’s not certain,” Aomine reminded him, causing a choked laugh from Kagami’s throat._

_“Don’t be humble, it’s 100% certain,” Kagami said, not doubting that the other would be scouted the second he stepped out of school._

_“Well,” Aomine said after a moment of thinking to himself. “If my career is not going to evolve around basketball, then I would like to take some kind of active job. I can’t imagine myself being an ordinary salary man like my dad, having to sit at a desk for twelve hours straight – my body would seriously rot if I had to do that.”_

_“You’re too stupid to be an ordinary salary man,” Kagami chuckled._

_Aomine decided to shake off Kagami’s joke, swallowing the sad fact that he had never been good at studying. “Well, I might become a cop.”_

_He got slightly annoyed when Kagami’s chuckle turned into a high-spirited outburst. “You, a cop? First of all, your bad personality would make you a terrifying cop! And second of all, you do know that you need to pass an extensive pen and paper test to get enrolled at the police training school?”_

_“Shut up, my great physics will compensate!” Aomine snarled and pushed himself up in a sitting position. “Come on, let’s head back. The first practise session starts in fifteen minutes.”_

_-_

_The training session was more fun than expected. All of them were split up in random teams of ten people and had to play against each other. The rules of the game were simple; when the games were over, the coaches would announce the results, ranking teams according to how many matches they had won/lost. The prize/punishment would then be given._

_Not surprisingly, Aomine brought his team to victory. Kagami’s team came second. “So, here’s your prize,” Riko said and handed Aomine and each of his teammates a folded piece of black fabric._

_“Woah, it looks awesome,” people muttered in unison as Aomine straightened out the fabric before him, a black yukata unfolding. It looked sophisticated, the details fine, the fabric of great quality. It must have been expensive._

_“Second place team, step forward,” Riko demanded, and Kagami, Murasakibara and fellow teammates stepped forward. They were also handed a folded piece of fabric._

_“Oh well, grey complements my complexion better than black,” Murasakibara said with an indifferent voice. As teams after teams kept getting yukatas, the fabric starting to look lamer for each announcement, Takao started to sweat, being on the losing team._

_“You’re kidding me!” he screamed out in horror as he was handed a white yukata with pink sakura flowers on it. “No way, I’m not going to wear that!”_

_“Don’t worry Takao,” Momoi smiled with a calming voice. “Riko and I are going to wear the same, so rest assured.”_

_“Is that supposed to make me feel better!” Takao roared._

_“Well, guys, go wash yourself. There’s a reason why you all got a yukata.”_

_“To fulfil your cross-dressing fantasies,” Takao let out a heavy sigh._

_“Also that,” Riko laughed. “But also because they’re throwing a festival in a small village not far away from here this very evening. Yes, yes, you’re probably thinking that I’m joking, because training camp has always been dead serious. However, since this is going to be over last summer training camp together, I guess my heart has softened a bit. So meet me down in the parking lot in an hour, then we’ll head to the festival together.”_

_-_

_Everybody laughed as Takao showed up in the parking lot wearing the white yukata. Due to his fine features and the length of his hair, he really did resemble a girl in that attire. Midorirma pushed the glasses up on his nose. “Beautiful,” he said with a stern face, making Takao want to puke._

_“Let’s go,” Momoi and Riko in similar yukata grabbed Takao by the arm and started to walk._

_“Hey! Don’t drag me,” Takao struggled, a failing attempt to get free from the girls._

_-_

_The festival had already started when they arrived, a cosy atmosphere with candles and torches everywhere. The place was filled with stands, offering tasty food, games and other kinds of entertainment. In the far distant there was the sound of Taiko drums. The basketball group were immediately split up, everybody rushing out to have fun like little kids. “Guess it’s just the two of us,” Kagami smiled at Aomine. “You look great in that yukata.”_

_“You don’t look bad either,” Aomine returned the smile, reaching out to touch the fabric against Kagami’s shoulder. “Let’s get some food, shall we?”_

_-_

_“That was probably the most delicious takoyako I have ever tasted,” Aomine was practically in heaven as they left the takoyako stand with a full stomach._

_“I agree,” Kagami rubbed his tummy._

_“Young gentlemen, care for a drink and a prophecy?” Both of the guys got the chills as they looked over to the man who was speaking. It was a very short old man with wrinkles all over his alien-like face, standing in front of a dark creepy stand that was situated at the very edge of the festival area, bordering to a dark forest._

_“A- a drink and prophecy?” Kagami’s was shivering all over his body as he got eye contact with the man._

_“You can’t read?” the man said at the pointed to a sign hanging by his stand. With red handwriting, resembling blood, it said: DRINK AND PROPHECY. “You pay for a drink, and in return I’ll foretell your future.”_

_‘What the hell are we doing?’ Kagami tried to signal to Aomine with his eyes as they were seated by the stand, them being the only ones in this area._

_“What?” Aomine asked._

_“Here you go,” the man said and placed two cocktail glasses on the table in front of them._

_“What is this?” Kagami asked._

_“Mango martini,” the old man presented his drinks._

_“We’re not allowed to dr-“ Kagami didn’t get to finish his words as Aomine grabbed a cocktail and took a sip, his face lightening up in surprise._

_“Kagami, this is so tasty, try it,” he handed Kagami his glass._

_“Oh, well, I guess I’ll try a little,” Kagami said. “Omo, delicious. Mister, if you skip the fortune telling, we’ll buy another drink.”_

_“Cheers,” Aomine said and bumped his glass into Kagami’s. Aomine looked so bright in the dark stand, his smile complementing the moon and shiny stars hovering above their heads. Back then, if Kagami had known that everything would start to change after that night, he would have cherished that moment more. He would have taken in the picture of that careless boyish smile, memorizing it forever, well-knowing that he would never get to see it again._

_Instead, that night Aomine left the camp as planned, a busy schedule waiting for him back home. “I’ll see you when you get back,” he squeezed Kagami’s hands before getting into the bus._

_“I’ll call you when I’m back,” Kagami called out._


	18. Chapter 18

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It has been five years since everybody graduated and Kagami has never looked back even once. Today he is working as a basket coach for kids attending middle school. Life is pretty normal until a blue-haired young man from his high school days reappears into his life.

If Kagami hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed that this room could contain so many people at once. He and Takao had not gotten a moment to breathe since they flipped the open-sign by the door, which separated the bar from the restaurant. Being a bartender was way tougher than he had imagined, his hands growing numb as he cut the mango. If only the crowd would stop getting bigger.

“Hurry up, Kagami,” Takao was stressed as well, a deep frown plastered on his usually cheerful face as he was standing before a huge queue. Fortunately the crowd stopped expanding and the number of orders decreased significantly when the match on the screen began. The room became almost deadly silent, people too emerged in the match to converse, only bothering to cry out in unison when a potential goal was expected. It reminded Kagami of the old days when he and his friends used to gather up and watch crucial matches together. Today all age groups were represented; dads with their sons, high school kids and even old grandpas. Sport was truly an amazing thing, bringing all kinds of people together.

“Can I have a beer?” a familiar voice suddenly spoke out, pulling Kagami out of his nostalgic moment. He shifted his eyes away from the crowd, his jaw almost dropping in surprise as he realized whom it was. Then anger took over. “Yo.”

“You!” Kagami hissed as his hand lashed across the counter to get a hold of the guy’s collar.

Saito waved carelessly at him, unaffected by the other man’s sudden attack. “I did say that we would probably get to see each other soon, but I didn’t know it would this soon.”

“Are you stalking me by chance?” Kagami yanked so hard that Saito almost fell onto the counter.

“Hey! Back off!” another leather jacket suddenly came out of nowhere, pushing his hands in-between the two in an attempt to separate them. Kagami’s breath was irregular as he tried to curb his anger, eyes that could kill staring intensely at Saito.

“Woah!” the leather jacket suddenly shouted into Kagami’s face with an overly eager voice. “You! I remember you!”

“I bet,” Kagami snarled. Although he could not remember the brat’s face, he assumed that he had been there last time when Kagami had encountered Saito.

“No, of course you wouldn’t remember me! I was only a child back then. Fuji summer camp, you were the one who inspired us to pursue basketball. Right, Akira, tell him!”

“So noisy,” Saito looked away with an embarrassed face. _No way_ , Kagami suddenly recalled a short chubby boy who was smiling up at him with admiring eyes. _‘Akira. Saito Akira. Remember my name.’_

_-_

“On the house,” Kagami placed two beers on the table before Saito and slid down on the seat next to him. They had found themselves a lonely corner away from the crowd.  


“Thanks, but you do know I’m underage?” he asked.

“If you don’t want it I’ll take it back,” Kagami grunted and was about to reach out for it, but Saito managed to grab it just in time.

“No way, it’s mine now,” he almost whined. The guy looked so mature, but watching him like this Kagami realized that he was still a mere kid. Saito felt uneasy as he noticed Kagami’s intense eyes on him.

“W-what?” he staggered. “Don’t stare at me like that. It’s creepy.”

Kagami blew out some air between his lips. “Well, I was just wondering how such an adorable kid turned out to be this kind of person. Are the two of you really the same person?”

“You didn’t figure that I had turned out to be such a nice piece,” Saito joked, feeling amused as he watched Kagami’s face cringe in displeasure.

“Overconfident for sure.”

“You’re the reason why I turned out like this,” Saito said, his face and voice suddenly turning serious. “If not for you, I would still be that weak boy with low self-esteem. Back then I thought I could never master anything. Then I saw you, how great you were…”

“Oh my god, stop it,” Kagami tried to sound harsh, but he was in fact embarrassed to hear the kid praising him. “Just go back to being a prick, I prefer that.”

“Hey, I’m being serious here!” Saito’s face was beat red by now. Whether it was due to the beer or the confession of his feelings was yet to be determined. “You’ve always been a role model to me”

“Then why would you go and expose me to the media?” Kagami was confused by Saito’s kind words. “Do you know what you have done? The whole country believes that I was involved in the drug scandal. I even got fired, you know.”

“I’m aware of that, but it’s necessary,” Saito said. “Otherwise you wouldn’t cooperate.”

Kagami planted his hand on his forehead as he let out a lifeless sigh. “Please, don’t speak in codes. What is going on? Tell me or I won’t understand!”

“Why didn’t you accept the offer to join the national team?” Saito’s question made Kagami’s heart skip a beat.

“Again that question!” Morita had asked the exact question. “I was never interested in professional basketball to begin with.”

“You’re lying,” Saito watched as Kagami adverted his eyes that were filled with discomfort. “Because _he_ lost his spot, you didn’t have the heart to step in as his replacement, isn’t that so? You couldn't do it because you love him.”

Saito’s words made the time go still. ‘ _What?’_ Kagami’s fingers started to fidget as he glanced at Saito with shocked eyes. ‘ _What did he say?’_ Kagami couldn’t move his lips, at a complete loss of words.

Saito chuckled, but it sounded strained. “Like I told you, I was your biggest fan. Some years ago I heard that Seirin was going on a summer training camp close to the place I was camping with my family at that time. I begged my uncle to take me there so I could get a glimpse of you. I saw the two of you on the beach. Although I was a child, I was aware that the two of you shared more than a simple friendship.”

Kagami swallowed the spit forming in his mouth, a painful throbbing in his throat. Once he had calmed down, he finally managed to speak with a shaky voice. “And why are you so interested in all this?”

“Because I can’t turn my back when knowing the truth.”

“What do you know?”

“You might know my uncle. He’s my mother’s younger brother. Before my mother married my dad, she went by the family name Harasawa.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super slow update. <3 School and exams as usual.  
> www.erimori.com


	19. Chapter 19

[Flashback]

_“Mom! Please, pretty pretty please sweet mom,” Saito begged his mother with the most pouty face he could make. They were standing in front of his parents’ summerhouse, at which they had arrived two days ago. “Uncle told me I could go if you would just let me!”_

_Mrs. Saito let out a heavy sigh and looked at her younger brother who was leaning against his car, ready to take off with an amused smirk plastered across his face. “And you’re sure he won’t be a bother to you?” she asked, her soft heart never been able to refuse her only son’s request._

_“It won’t, I’ll take care of him until you get back,” Harasawa ensured his overprotective sister._

_“Yeah!” Saito squealed and quickly jumped into the passenger seat, fearing that his mother would change her mind last minute. Mrs. Saito shook her head and looked at her brother with stern eyes._

_“You shouldn’t sell him an impossible dream,” she said, implying that he was to blame for her son’s sudden interest in basketball. “He keeps telling me that he wants to become a professional basketball player. I’m worried that he’s not taking school seriously.”_

_“You shouldn’t worry about that,” Harasawa tried to calm her worries. “All boys his age are like that.”_

_“Whatever you say,” Mrs. Saito said and wished them a great trip. Saito was cheerfully humming when Harasawa slid onto the front seat._

_“Just so you know, I’m only there to pick up a player, so we’re only staying there for a few hours before returning to Tokyo,” he told his beyond eager nephew._

_“Yeah, yeah, you already told me a million times,” nothing could bring down Saito’s mood – after all, he was about to meet his idol. It had almost been a year… Saito was wondering whether Kagami could recognize him._

_-_

_“Oh, you’re a Seirin fan?” a guy with glasses was sending him a mature smile on the beach._

_“No, not really, I’m just a fan of your ace,” Saito conveyed his feelings in full honestly, not taking notice to the other’s shattered pride._

_“I’m sorry, Hyuuga,” Harasawa apologized on behalf of his little plus one. “My nephew has taken a liking to Kagami. Could you possibly let us know his current whereabouts?”_

_“Non taken,” Hyuuga tried to pick up his pride from the ground. “I think I saw him down by the water some time ago. He was heading west.”_

_“West is that way, right?” Saito felt the excitement get the better of him as his feet started to move._

_“Wait up!” he could hear his uncle calling in the far distant, but he couldn’t stop, feeling the breeze hit his cheeks beneath the red gleam of the sun as he made his way through the heavy sand. He stopped after some time, trying to catch his breath, his heart beating as his eyes fell upon familiar red hair. He was not alone – in fact he was together Aomine. It was odd to see them walking alongside, acting all friendly. ‘I guess he did take my advice,’ Saito recalled telling Kagami to apologize to the other. ‘Looks like fun,’ Saito laughed as he saw them fooling around, Kagami desperately trying to drag Aomine out in the water. ‘I want to join them!’_

_“Kagami!” Saito called out as he intended to approach them, but he stopped dead in his tracks, his mouth turning immediately dry as he saw something he didn’t quite understand. ‘What’s going on?’_

_Saito gasped in surprise as he felt a cold hand on his shoulder. He looked up at his uncle, whose eyes were deadly serious. “Akira, don't’ look,” he was told. “Let’s go back.”_

_There was something in his uncle’s voice that seemed different; sounding so unfamiliar that Saito didn’t dare disobeying his orders. Saito turned around and started to head back to the direction from where they came. “Is… it normal to do that between two guys?” Saito asked. When he didn’t get a reply, he turned and noticed that his uncle was falling behind him, a phone in Harasawa’s hand as he snapped a picture of the two players lying in the sand._

_-_

_“Are you sure you don’t want to go to the festival?” Harasawa asked his nephew, who had been sulking ever since they arrived at the camp. “Didn’t you come all the way to greet Kagami?”_

_“No, I’m just gonna stay here,” Saito was determined to stay at the camp. He was confused, weird feelings building up inside him. ‘Stupid Kagami. You’re my idol, but you go do something so weird. And stupid uncle. Why would you go as far to take a picture?’_

_Harasawa had never been the patient type, so he decided to let Saito have his way. “Fine. Here’s some money for when you’ll get hungry. I’ll come pick you up tonight. Call if something’s up, alright?”_

_“Yeah, yeah.”_

_“And Akira,” Harasawa’s gentle voice turned serious. “What you saw earlier, don’t tell anybody, understood?”_

_-_

_Aomine glanced at Saito through the rear-view mirror. “You seem much more quite than the last time I met you,” he said, not getting any reaction from the kid on the back seat. “… Awkward.”_

_“Don’t mind him, he’s been sulking all day,” Harasawa said, which angered Saito even more. “But lately the kid’s really obsessed with basketball. So he insisted to go get a glimpse of the camp.”_

_“I see,” Aomine turned to look at Saito with a bright smile. “You’re going to join Touou in the future? Your uncle’s the best coach.”_

_‘Somehow I believe that you have misjudged my uncle,’ Saito felt his stomach turn as he recalled his uncle snapping the picture earlier that day. ‘Aomine, for your own sake, please don’t think too highly of my uncle.’_

[Flashback end]

Kagami was relieved when Saito’s friend chose to interrupt their conversation, which had turned way too intense to Kagami’s liking. “Akira! You’re coming? We’re heading to Yuki’s place now, his parents finally left the house!”

“Well, I gotta go,” Saito excused himself as he got up from his seat.

“No problem,” Kagami tried to hide the fact that he was actually happy seeing the other off. He was still shaken by Saito’s words- if this kid had known about their relationship all along, then there might have been others out there whom possessed the same knowledge.

“Kagami,” Saito said with a low voice so that only Kagami could hear him. “I believe that Aomine is innocent, and I want to let the whole world know it, so please, tell Morita all that you know.”

Kagami opened his mouth, but his throat was too dry to speak. “By the way, I’m playing my final match in the X tournament on the upcoming Friday. As I told you, you have always been my idol, so it would mean the world to me if you would show up.”

With those words, Saito pulled a piece of folded paper out from his jacket and placed it on the table before taking his leave. Kagami’s hands were shaking as he unfolded the paper. It was a ticket for the match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the super slow update. :)


	20. Chapter 20

[Flashback]

_Saito spent the weekend at his uncle’s place, regretting that he hadn’t stayed with his parents. They were probably hiking at the moment, surrounded by beautiful mountains meanwhile he was wasting his time in an empty apartment with nothing to do. It was his own fault – his uncle had warned him beforehand, saying that we would be out of the house most of the time due to preparations for Touou’s final crucial match in the X tournament. Saito had secretly hoped that he could tag along, but his uncle wouldn’t let him have his way. “Be a good boy and stay at home. I’m off work on Sunday, so how about we get out of the house then and have some fun?”_

_So by the time when Sunday finally arrived, Saito couldn’t wait to leave the house. “Come on, uncle, you’re too slow!” he said as Harasawa was putting on his jacket._

_“No need for rushing,” Harasawa said with a strict voice as he reached out for his car keys on the shelf. Saito pushed the main door up and was surprised to find an elder man on the veranda. He looked like a serious man in his suit._

_“Oh,” the man was also taken by surprise as he hadn’t expected to find a kid at the door. His hand that was about to press the doorbell was still wavering in the air._

_“Mister, are you here to see my uncle?” Saito asked. “Wait a second. Uncle! A mister is here to see you!”_

_Harasawa appeared in the doorway, bowing his head slightly as the other man, respect visible in his posture. “Please come on in,” he told the man and let the other slide pass by him through the door. He then threw the car keys to Akira. “Akira, you go wait in the car, I’ll be there in a second.”_

_Saito did as he was told and walked over to the car, wondering where he had seen the man before. He looked really familiar. ‘Oh, I forgot my camera,’ Saito quickly returned to the house. He could hear the two adult talking in the kitchen._

_“Are you sure that you have a hang of things?” the stranger asked. “What if the dog you raised will eventually bite your hand?”_

_Saito frowned. ‘Dog? What is that man taking about? Uncle doesn’t have a dog… and didn’t he say he was allergic to dogs?’_

_“It shouldn’t be a problem,” Harasawa replied._

_“Good, good. With all the money that I have spent on Touou, I would be disappointed if you would fail me now, Harasawa.”_

_Saito who was about to open the drawer next to the main door to look after his camera, suddenly froze. The atmosphere between the two adults sounded tense – Saito had a feeling that he wasn’t supposed to hear this conversation, but his curiosity draw him closer to the kitchen._

_“Rest assured, there shouldn’t be a problem,” Harasawa said with a calm voice._

_“That’s what all masters say before they get bitten,” the older man chuckled. “Well, you know how it works, Harasawa, I’ll trust you.”_

_The man handed an envelope over to Harasawa, whom pushed it in-between cooking books on the shelf next to the freezer. Saito pretended that he had just entered the house when the other two exited the kitchen. “I forgot my camera, I’ll go look for it,” he said._

_“I’ll be waiting outside,” Harasawa said._

_“Energetic kid,” the other was amused as they walked out of the house. Saito glanced out the window, confirming that the other two had reached the cars before quickly rushing over to the shelf and grabbing the envelope that his uncle had tried to conceal._

_It was a list with many numbers. The title said: X tournament, final match, Rakuzan vs. Touou. A line was highlighted with yellow. [Rakuzan +1]_

[Flashback end]

-

Kagami looked at the ticket that Saito had handed him. “X tournament…” he whispered, hating the valuable sound that escaped his sore throat. “The match over them all…”

Tears started to run down his face, dripping down on the paper, blurring out the ink, making a few words unreadable. “That’s when you started to change.”

“Kagami, we’re shutting down,” Takao called out. Kagami wiped his wet eyes and took a deep breath before getting up on his wobbling feet.

“Damn, I’m so tired,” Takao yawned as he was dusting the floor. “Oh by the way, the guy you spoke with earlier. Wasn’t that Rakuzan’s rising star, Saito something? How do you guys know each other?”

“He was a fan of mine back in the days,” Kagami said bluntly as he wiped the counter.

“A fan? Shouldn’t he have gone for Seirin then?” Takao asked, getting a shrug from the redhead.

“I wonder…”

“I’m heading to a bar nearby to catch up with some friends. Why don’t you join us? The more the merrier, right?”

-

Hanging out with Takao and his friends was surprisingly refreshing; the topic falling on everyday issues such as job, family and eventually love problems. “You probably got no problems getting girls,” Tanaka said hopelessly as he tried his hardest to glare at Kagami. Tanaka had been single for as long as he could remember. “You’re tall and athletic. Girls dig that, don’t they?”

“He’s the type of guy that girls want to date, but you’re the type they want to marry,” Takao laughed. “A clever guy with a high income, how could they resist?”

“Hey! Are you telling me that I can only get gold diggers?” Tanaka growled, pretending to be hurt.

“Ha ha, something like that,” Takao stuck his tongue out.

“Well, Takao, you’re neither alethic-looking nor rich,” Takahashi, Takao’s other friend pointed out.

“Hey hey!” Takao felt like he was being unfairly treated. “This is a complete misunderstanding! I might not be tall, but if you strip me naked, you’ll be surprised to find all them muscles!”

His statement made everybody laugh. “Cheers. Let’s drink until our hearts are content!”

“Well, it’s irrelevant since you already got a girlfriend,” Kagami reminded him.

“Um, excuse me…” Kagami looked up at the bartender who was addressing him.

“Yes?” Kagami asked.

“This is for you,” the bartender placed a drink in front of him. “It’s from the lady over there.”

Kagami’s eyes followed the bartender’s gaze, finding an attractive woman sitting in the corner with her legs crossed. She seemed to be a few years older than him, her exclusive attire signalling that she wasn’t short on money. When their eyes met, the woman raised the glass in the air as she winked at him.

“Woah, older women really do have this sexy confidence about them,” Takahashi said as Kagami also raised his glass in the air in response before putting the edge of the glass between his lips.

“Woah, you’re really going over there?” Takao was surprised as Kagami pushed himself up from the chair.

“Thank you for the drink. Do you mind if I sit next to you?” Kagami asked.

The woman smiled at him. She was even more beautiful close up. “I would be disappointed if you didn't.”

-

Kagami pushed the woman down on the bed and crawled on top of her. She was moaning as he let his lips run down the side of her neck. Her body felt nice and soft in his hands. She had a nice smell to her. “Kagami…” she said with a husky voice as her hands reached out, skilled hands unbuckling his pants. Kagami pushed her legs apart with his knees and let his fingers slip up beneath her panties. She was all wet – after all, this was nature, supporting love making between a man and a woman. This was how it was supposed to be.

“What’s wrong?” the woman asked as Kagami suddenly got up on his knees.

“Fuck,” Kagami’s throat was tightening as he let his fingers run through his sweaty hair. “I can’t do this.”


	21. Chapter 21

Kagami felt the eyes of strangers following his very moves as he rushed through the hotel lobby. He was clearly standing out with his untidy appearance at such a fancy place where only wealthy people seemed to reside. As soon as he stepped outside, he rested his head against the building, the feeling of self-disgust giving him the urge to throw up. As he covered his lips with one hand, a chauffeur of the hotel approached him. “Mister, are you alright?”

Kagami couldn’t be bothered to muster a reply, pushing himself off from the wall and staggered off the hotel’s property. Without a sense of destination, Kagami let his feet move by themselves as he let his mind drift off. He soon lost track of time, a voice suddenly disturbing his pace. “Hey, what are you up for tonight?” a flirty voice spoke as a hand grabbed him by the arm. A younger man with a charming smile looked questioningly at him. Kagami looked around and realized that he was currently in Ni-chōme. He had never been here at this time of night. “So what do you say,” the man said. “Wanna find a hotel?”

Kagami was about to reject the man’s suggestion, but it was like he had completely lost his mind – his body feeling odd as his lips moved against his will. “Sure.”

The man whose name was unknown jumped onto the bed as soon as they entered the room and removed his tee. “So, how do you want it?” he was being quite frank. The situation was so different from earlier with the woman – this time no flirting, soothing words and confirmation was required. Both of them knew what was awaiting on the agenda.

“I want you on all four,” Kagami said as he got rid of his pants the second time that night.   
  
“How bold,” the other sounded amused and took on the requested position. “Do you work out a lot? I like your body.”

“Please, enough talking,” Kagami slipped on a condom and started rubbing his cock between the other’s buttocks, waiting for it to get hard.   
  
“Uh, straight to the business, you’re quite impatient,” the stranger said. Thankfully, he became less talkative as Kagami started to move behind him. As they started to move in a steady rhythm, Kagami started to get in the mood, thrusting forward with such power that the other man started to whimper beneath him. ‘Fuck. They look alike from this position.’

“Harder,” the other begged. The voice pulled Kagami back to reality. ‘No, let me stay in this dream a bit longer, just for tonight,’ Kagami thought to himself as he inserted some fingers into the other man’s mouth to shut him up.

“That was really enjoyable,” the guy said as he put on his clothes. “If you’re up for a second round, you can usually find me at Y bar on weekends.”

“Sure,” Kagami mumbled, still naked in bed. Since he had paid for the room, he might as well just spend the night there.

-

_[Flashback]_

_“Come on, knock it out,” Aomine said as Kagami was nipping at his ear. They were lying on Aomine’s bed, Kagami straddling him in such a manner that he couldn’t break free._

_“Don’t be like that, I haven’t seen you like in forever,” Kagami reminded him that they hadn’t been in touch since the training camp. Aomine’s schedule had been so tight that it had been a real pain in the ass to plan anything together._

_“Seriously, knock it out,” Aomine managed to shove his elbow into Kagami’s stomach, causing the redhead to roll off him with a pained expression._

_“So mean,” Kagami pouted as Aomine put on his wind shelter jacket. “Jogging again? Don’t you think you’re going overboard?”_

_“I need to maintain my form until the tournament,” Aomine sounded annoyed as he left the apartment._

_“Don’t give me that fucking attitude,” Kagami was pissed as he put on his jacket and shoes. He had looked forward to finally see the other, but it damn sure felt like these feelings of longing were one-sided. “Don’t think you’re the only one who’s so damn busy. Getting here was a waste of time.”_

_Later that night Kagami spoke on the phone with his mom. “How are things going? Are you prepared for the final exams?”_

_“Yeah, yeah,” Kagami hated talking about exams. “Did you receive my CV? I sent it to dad’s e-mail.”_

_There was a long pause on the line. Kagami squeezed his eyes, expecting the worst. “Taiga, dad and I don’t think you should apply for a job yet. Enrolling at an university-“_

_“Mom, I already told you a million times that I’m not interested in attending university.”_

_“If I saw this coming, I wouldn’t have let you spend so much time on basketball all these years,” his mom scolded. “I should have been more strict in your upbringing. All the other parents hired private tutors and enrolled their kids to summer school. If only I-“_

_“Mom, I’m not made for studying,” Kagami whined, then faked a surprised voice. “Oh, somebody’s pressing the doorbell. Gotta go, talk to you later mom.”_

_“Taiga-“_

_Kaiga sighed as he threw the phone on the desk. He walked to the stereo and allowed loud electronic music to flow out of the speakers as he started to do some push-ups on the floor. Figuring out ones future plans was surely a pain in the ass, especially when his parents disagreed with the one thing that he did feel completely sure about. He needed to vent his frustrations, but his friends were too busy with final exams to meet up and Aomine could only worry about his own problems at the moment. It’s been a long time since Kagami had felt this lonely in Japan, suddenly missing the States so badly._

_He grabbed his phone when he heard it vibrating. A message from Aomine. [I am sorry for earlier. Can I come over tonight?]_

_[Sure.]_

_Kagami quickly got dressed and left for the convenience store to buy snacks and beers, since his home supplies were non-existing. When he returned to his apartment, he saw a man in a suit walking around, looking rather lost. “Mister, can I help you?” Kagami asked. His eyes widened in recognition when he realized that the man was no other than Rakuzan’s coach, Shirogane Eiji. Shirogane was at the moment the most respectable basketball coach in Japan, being a member of the basketball foundation’s decision board and known for having scouted many star players for the national team._

_“Kagami Taiga, there you are,” the older man smiled calmly at him. Kagami held his breath. It couldn’t be…_

_“Would you like some tea?” Kagami felt a little nervous when they entered his apartment. Letting such a famous person into his home felt rather unrealistic._

_“Oh, no need to, I have an appointment in just a bit,” just as expected from such an important person. “I only wanted to have a short chat with you.”_

_“So,” Kagmami’s hands were fidgeting when they were seated in the sofa. “You wanted to talk about?”_

_“Kagami, as you might know the national team has two spots open by the end up this summer. Normally we don’t announce the results before the very end, but the director (of the basketball foundation) was scared of Aomine getting offers from outside Japan, so it’s not a surprise that he has already secured himself a spot.”_

_‘He doesn’t even know that,’ Kagami thought. ‘If he knew, he would have relaxed more.’_

_“As for the second spot,” Shirogane continued. “We have a few players in mind. You are one of them. So what do you think?”_

_“Wh- what d-do…” Kagami felt his vocabulary vanish as he could only stare at the other with his mouth wide open. When Shirogane left, Kagami was still in a state of shock._

_An incoming call pulled him out from his trance. It was Riko. “Kagami, I looked at your CV. It looks great, but I made a few spelling corrections. Should I hand it over to my dad? I’m sure he wouldn’t mind having you as an assistant.”_

_“Riko, I think we should wait a little,” Kagami said._


	22. Chapter 22

_[Flashback]_

_Kagami felt overwhelmed when Aomine’s arms surrounded his frame in the doorway, blue hair tickling his chin as muffled words were spoken into his shirt. “I’m sorry about earlier.”_

_Not having the heart to stay angry for long, Kagami instantly returned the hug, overjoyed to finally feel Aomine’s presence. The feeling was indescribable, rare even. “It’s okay, please come inside.”_

_Kagami felt slightly worried when he noticed Aomine’s attire – still in the workout clothes that he had worn when they parted hours ago. Just for how long had he exactly been jogging? Aomine was the type who would take a bath the instant he was done with his workout. “How about you go take a bath?” Kagami suggested. “I’ll cook a little something for us meanwhile.”_

_“Okay, thanks.”_

_Kagami grabbed the remote control and turned on the television, mentally shortening the cooking time. “Let’s make some omurice,” he felt silly to speak to himself as he started to cut some onions. An annoying commercial song for cup noodles was to his relief replaced by the latest news broadcast._

_[Latest scandal yet again revealed by Morita Ken. 70% of the kids enrolled at top college C in Tokyo were accepted not due to their skills but due to their social background._

_Lady interviewer: “Morita Ken, is it true?”_

_Morita Ken: “After doing some digging, we can confirm that this is indeed the case. More than two-thirds of these kids have influential parents. We talk about kids of politicians, CEOs of big corporations etc. Today is a sad day for Japan. When will this country ever get rid of all this corruption when even the authorities...”]_

_“This guy always covers depressing topics,” the sound of the television drowned out as he added the onions to the hot pan. When the food was neatly arranged on two plates, Aomine showed up the very moment Kagami placed them on the low table in the living room._

_“Itadakimasu.”_

_“Tasty,” Aomine grinned, nodding gratefully as Kagami flicked open a can of beer and handed it to him, their fingers gracing lightly._

_“Right?” Kagami opened a can for himself. “In this life you’ll never meet a girl that can make a better omurice than Kagami Taiga.”_

_Aomine decided to play along with the joke. “Well, I do like my girls confident…”_

_“You’re calling me a girl?” the redhead immediately picked up on it._

_“You’re my favourite girl,” Aomine’s mouth twisted into an arrogant smirk. It was a sight that Kagami hadn’t seen for a long time, an expression that used to be constantly plastered on the other’s face back when they were barely acquaintances._

_Aomine frowned as the other suddenly burst out in an uncontrollable laughter. “What is it?”_

_“Pfft…” tears started to form in Kagami’s eyes. “You got ketchup on your face.”_

_Kagami placed a hand on the table and leaned across it to wipe the other’s mouth clean. A sudden awkward silence suddenly arose as Kagami slowly pulled his hand back, his body still bending towards the other. Aomine narrowed his eyes as a silent invitation. Kagami could feel his heart beating as he leaned closer. “Vbr...” before their lips touched, Aomine’s phone was vibrating on the table in-between them. An incoming call, ‘coach’ visible on the display._

_Kagami was disappointed, but tried his best not to sound so. “You should answer it,” he said and got up, taking the empty plates and walking out in the kitchen. ‘Yet again…’ He barely had the chance to drop the plates in the zinc before he was suddenly attacked from behind. “Wha-“ as he turned around, he was silenced as Aomine pushed him against the counter and began to ravish his lips. It felt like a battle as they tried to get rid of each other’s shirts, the hands and bodies moving too fast, making the task seem much more difficult than it would normally have been. Kissing while removing ones clothes was nearly impossible._

_“Ah…” Kagami squeezed his eyes shut in pleasure as wet lips trailed down the side of his neck. “Wait- we’re gonna do… it here?”_

_“You don’t want to?” Aomine started to nip at the other’s nipple, sucking on it until it became stiff. Kagami planted his hand in the other’s hair and slowly pressed down, Aomine getting the hint and sliding down to his knees, fingers playfully teasing at the other’ zipper._

_“God, just do it already,” weeks of waiting had made Kagami lose all impatience. He gritted his teeth, trying to suppress a moan as Aomine finally exposed his member and started to pay full attention to it. Shivers were sent up through his spine, his bodies shuddering as the other started to take him in deep. He almost lost his balance as his pants were tightly embracing his ankles. Aomine had surely improved his skills since that first time long time ago, nipping and licking with dazed eyes, eyelids heavy. Kagami grabbed the edge of the counter behind him, eyes rolling up in the back of his head as he listened to the sloppy sounds coming from beneath. “That’s enough.”_

_He got rid of his pants and pulled Aomine into the bedroom. Aomine’s eyes squeezed shut in surprise as he was pushed down on the bed, Kagami getting on top of him and kissing him eagerly, his hand sliding down underneath the other’s underwear, groping his member. Aomine bit his bottom lip, letting out an unintentional grunt as Kagami’s grasp became firmer. “You’re not in the mood?” Kagami asked in-between the kisses._

_“I am, use your mouth,” Aomine’s face was all flushed from the heated kissing session as Kagami pulled the other’s underwear down to the knees, licking it slowly._

_Some minutes later, Kagami got up on his feet. “I’ll go the bathroom,” he said without facing the other, his voice devoid of emotions. “Maybe it’s best if we don’t meet until after X tournament.”_

_“Kagami, I’m sorry. I’ve just been really stress-“_

_Aomine’s excuse suddenly made Kagami snap. “Bullshit! Your spot is completely ensured, you know that, right? Even fucking Shirogane Eiji said so! So what the hell is it that you’re worrying about? I have a lot of things on my mind too, but not even once have you asked how I feel! It’s always you, you, you-“_

_“So how do you feel?” Aomine’s voice was vulnerable, shaky, so unlike Aomine, his appearance grey like a pale ghost, his whole being screaming exhausted. But Kagami was too fed up to notice, all the mixed feelings in him appearing on the surface, yearning to be let out._

_“How I feel?! How I feel?” he felt something deep inside his chest stir up as he watched Aomine’s eyes water. Whatever Kagami was about to say vanished at that very second when he saw the other breaking down before him. When ones system is about to shut down, the defence mechanisms step forward to do their job. “Get out.”_

_-_

_The following week X tournament was set off. Seirin did their best but was eliminated in the semifinal against Rakuzan. Meanwhile all the members were weighted down by sorrow, Kagami felt a sense of relief. There was no way he could face Aomine at the final – this was for the best of all. It came as no shock for anyone that Touou and Rakuzan would face each other at the finale. “Kagami, let’s go watch the final match tonight,” Kiyoshi said as they were heading home from practise._

_“I can’t. I have a job interview today,” it was obviously a lie. Two hours before the match was going to start, he received an incoming call as he was playing basketball on the empty court close to his house. [Aomine calling…] Kagami turned off his phone._


End file.
